Resilient moon
by Chronos guardian
Summary: A war now rages between Akatsuki and Konoha, the latter is losing and the end is in sight. Naruto and the rest of the Survivors are forced to watch their dream waver and flicker into nothing. Kyuubi feels differently and takes them another realms.
1. Chapter 1:war

Okay I just decided to try my hand at a Sailormoon/Naruto crossover. I read a really great one before that I just couldn't stop thinking about it. When I went to look for more stories like it I found none. I was left with a dilemma of what to do, until I decided to write my own. It's a challenge to all you writers out there. I want to see more Sailormoon/Naruto crossovers if possible. Now please read and review if you may.

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_I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared  
But no one would listen, 'cause no one else cared  
After my dreaming, I woke with this fear  
What am I leaving when I'm done here?_

_So if you're asking me, I want you to know_

_When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed  
Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest_

_Leave out all the rest, don't be afraid  
I've taken my beating, I've shared what I made  
I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through  
I've never been perfect, but neither have you_

_So if you're asking me, I want you to know_

_When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed  
Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest  
Leave out all the rest_

_Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well  
Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself  
I can't be who you are_

_When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed  
Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest  
Leave out all the rest_

_Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well  
Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself  
I can't be who you are_

_I can't be who you are_

"**_Leave out all the rest" by Linkin park_**

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**Prologue: The final stand**

**D**reams are said to be glimpses of the future, that or someone's subconscious desires. Either way none of those definitions seemed to fit this dream he's been constantly having for quite some time now. This dream could not be of the future because he knew there was no place in the entire shinobi realm as beautiful as this. There couldn't after Akatsuki was finished torching the earth, destroying all the great villages, and enslaving the lower ones. Besides the landscape was too weird…too strange.

From the foreign gray soil at his feet to the ruined remains of a white castle. Walking along the side of the great fountain before the palace that looked like a mini lake the man knew this kingdom was once great. The crystal water with its silver glow was stagnant, frozen in time like the rest of the place. The silence was deafening and the darkness dreary but he knew there was beauty still left within this place. The pale crumbled ruins still had some life in it but it was small, still weak but growing. He could see that in the greenery, peace flowing into him as he saw the white lilies growing, their green stems growing rapidly against the white columns.

"What a beautiful place" he whispered to no one in particular.

"It was your home".

He turned quickly to where he'd heard the melodious voice. A smile broke out on his face as he stared at the unearthly beauty before him. She appeared to be in her late twenties with long silver hair tied into two buns and two ponytails escaping them. Her eyes were an eccentric blue, so serene they made him wish he could stay here forever, away from the war and death. This lady always seemed to appear in his dreams in her long white gown.

"Hello Serenity, you called?" he asked with a faint grin, the best he could afford to give. The best of his emotions had already been striped from his being by the war.

"Naruto it is not I that draws you here but the moon and your memories".

Naruto shook his head. There she went again, talking about his memories. As far as Naruto could remember he'd never seen this place in real life and he had a damn good memory. Why was she telling him he'd forgotten something?

"You can't remember can you? You probably don't even know about her do you?" her sad tone made Naruto feel guilty for not remembering whatever it was she was hinting at.

"I'm sorry" he could do nothing but bow his head in shame for not meeting her expectations. He felt warm hands lift his face.

"Its okay, you'll remember when the time is right. Sorry, I am rushing you even though I had planned it this way". She said with a solemn look. Naruto didn't like seeing this woman sad, for some reason it brought a sharp pain to his heart. His slender tan finger wiped away the tears from her pale face, seeing her age reflect in those blue eyes for the first time.

"Lets think about something else for now. I promise to remember whatever it is that I have forgotten" assured Naruto, not really knowing if he could but he'd sure as hell try.

"Alright I'll tell you about our kingdom". The woman smiled, grabbing his hand as she led him along the destroyed Kingdom, telling him of how beautiful it once was. Naruto could imagine it all, the balls, even the prestigious shrine ceremonies. He could picture all the phantoms of the people that once walked these halls gliding beside him, dancing around him like they would at the balls. He wished he could have been a part of the Silver Millennium. He wished he could have seen Serenity dance in her white gown. To watch as it flapped and twirled like a child wanting to see his mother in her glory days. Too bad she wasn't his mother.

His real mother had died from childbirth that he knew for sure. Tsunade and Jiraiya had told him on his 16th birthday, along with who his father was. Naruto didn't know who to be angry at; his father for sealing a demon in him and then leaving him to fend for himself in the world or the closed minded villagers who couldn't even follow the wishes of a dying man. He didn't know whether to laugh at the irony of the whole situation or scream at them. He was the son to one of their most prestigious clans and yet they had shunned him. He was the son to the Fourth Hokage and yet they threw him out on the streets at age five. It was too late to do either of that now, Akatsuki would be coming to end it all any minute now.

"Naruto…is something wrong?" the concern he saw and heard in her voice and eyes touched his heart like no other. Yes, there were plenty of things that were wrong, heck his whole life was one disaster after another but Naruto couldn't bring himself to trouble her. He couldn't bring his harsh reality onto this sanctuary. Even if this was just a dream, this was the only place he could be at peace. For once he wanted to be selfish and keep this peace to himself.

"No Serenity, nothing is wrong".

"You shouldn't lie but don't worry I won't push it. You need to figure things out yourself. Now go. There are people counting on you". She kissed his forehead like a mother would her child before bed and disappeared.

"Goodbye Serenity…my Queen". Naruto's eyes began to glaze over as his body turned to moon dust, being blown away by high winds.

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**Scene Skip**

With a start Naruto woke up. The dream had taken longer than usual, seeming more real with each day. He didn't know much about Serenity or the Moon Kingdom but something told him there was more to this. Maybe he **had** forgotten something.

"Naruto you gonna join us any day now?"

Naruto was rudely pulled from his thoughts to see his teammate and fellow Anbu Sakura Haruno standing beside his futon. Her unique pink hair had grown longer without his notice but she'd cut most of it and left the rest to hang in a rat-tail. Her wardrobe had changed too, needing to be more practical and feminine than fashionable. Then again with the special armor Naruto got Kyuubi to lend all of them, changing styles was easy. All they had to do was think of what they wanted to wear and the armor would transform to their needs, very handy for a time of war with no room to be carrying around a whole wardrobe.

Now she wore a tight black shoulderless turtle neck, a two layered; shoulderless, mid thigh kimono dress with two different shades of pink for each layer. Her obi was red with sakura petals scattered across it with three storage scrolls tied to it, allowing them to hang at her hips. Her cut off kimono arm sleeves were separate from the main dress but they were pink as well with dragon designs curling around them. She'd decided to go with thigh-high black stocking with wave design, choosing traditional Geta slippers with 5 inch heels for her footwear to help strengthen her kicks.

She was tapping her feet impatiently now and Naruto could already see the dents forming on the floor. If he didn't get up in the next five seconds he'd be facing another concussion. A fate he'd rather avoid if possible.

Swiftly he got to his feet and walked into the apartment house's main bathroom. The only one of the three in the whole building that worked. The men had tried to fix the other two but there just didn't seem to be enough time anymore. He wasn't surprised to see so many things that belonged to his many dorm mates. Ever since Akatsuki had started the war for world domination, buildings were getting destroyed along with bases. The Hokage tower barely still stood but no one dared take refuge there. That was like asking to get bombed to death. Konoha shinobi on the other hand have been forced back into their own village. It's finally gotten to the point where the only safe building was his old apartment house, now his since the landlady sold it to him right before she spilt with the rest of the evacuees.

Everyone had chipped in to make the place look half decent and operational; making sure it was secure as possible. Now it was their base and home, they couldn't lose it.

He shook of his musing and took a quick shower. The water was cold but that didn't bother him as much as it had the girls the first time they'd moved in. He'd been forced to live here half of his life anyway so the cold water wasn't anything new. Before the War with Akatsuki began he already had his own village as an enemy to watch out for. Konoha had been by far the worst enemy to have for the Jinchuuriki. With Akatsuki he could openly hate, attack and defend against. The feelings of hatred were mutual but with Konoha he couldn't even lift a finger for fear of a swift execution. Once again he shook himself out of his musing and robotically placed his armor back on. With the mind manipulating it could change into anything but the armor originally looked like a plain hospital shirt and pants though it was still as strong as rock. The armor had saved their lives many times on missions and most of the Konoha survivors were glad Kyuubi was able to give them up. Without them Naruto shuddered to think where they would have been or the amount of casualties they could have had.

He put his brain to work, going for an outfit he always wore now; transforming the plain white hospital shirt into a tight fitting black turtleneck without sleeves, and a silver crucifix for his silent prayers. Satisfied with this Naruto went on to change the rest of his attire; morphing the plain pants into black ones that could fool the eye into believing they were tight enough to constrict movement while in truth they were quite comfortable. As for an extra layer of defense he called upon a large orange like sash tied around his slim waist by a silver cord, with white flames that seemed to be leaping up from the bottom drawn in. At the sides of the sash hung four chains in total, two on each side and of different lengths to reach the enemy when he choose to manipulate them into thin blades. No fashion statement there, just practicality. Attached to his waist were his five cherished storage seals, each holding a color to represent the element it contained; red for fire, light blue for wind, dark blue for water, gold for earth, and white for lightening. Looking at his bare arms Naruto willed two black wrist guards long enough to meet his elbow with white seals written on them. To finally finish his wardrobe he walked over to a hidden compartment in the wall. Placing chakra into his finger before tapping on it twice and watching as a rectangular part of the wall slide back to produce five rings, Naruto smiled. These were very special to him, having been given to him by five of his most trusted female friends when they found his lack of jewelry revolting. Reaching in, he grabbed them and placed two on his index and middle fingers on both hands before finally placing the last on his left thumb. With a satisfied grin he walked out of the bathroom and towards Sakura. It may have seemed long but his whole transformation only took ten minutes of the pink haired Kunoichi's time.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" he was a bit lost here.

Sakura rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "That! Getting dressed in seconds when your outfit is so complicated!"

"Oh" the only intelligent thing that came to mind, "I've done this longer than you I guess?"

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "It's not only that, your outfit's…very…fashionable and yet so practical!'

Naruto had to rub the back of his head to this, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan, you outfit's pretty cute too if it makes a difference" he offered.

Sakura's face glowed to this of course. She had grown out of most of her childhood fickle minded tendencies but old habits die hard.

"Besides Sakura-chan you're a Medic Nin you don't need half the stuff I'm carrying. Berserkers like me have to carry as many offensive things as possible to destroy as many enemy nin as possible before the other well rounded teams come in. I need to be able to turn everything on me into a weapon with chakra if push comes to shove" he offered a more relevant answer. It was enough and the pink haired kunoichi reluctantly dropped the case. The weight of the situation destroying whatever childish squabble they may have been having.

Suddenly somber, they walked down the old wooden step, torn and chipped with age. Passed through the ever silent halls on the first floor, they walked into the situation room. As expected when they opened the steel slid door everyone was present, even Kakashi. His tardy habits had been beaten out of him by the seriousness of war. The air was thick with a gloom so dark it nearly took over the whole room but hope still remained. Naruto could see the bulge in Kurenai's stomach and couldn't help but smile. He noticed all eyes had turned to them now.

The group was irritated by the delay and some even wanted to yell at the two for being late but they held their peace. Naruto and Sakura had a platonic relationship that could rival that of a blood brother and sister. They couldn't have been fooling around as some would think had they not known the two very well.

Naruto had grown up to look as beautiful as ever with exotic features that made him look like a living painting. His long golden tresses of hair spiking out slightly in a wild yet tamed motion, with a metallic glow that framed his face. His naturally tanned skin seemed to glow in the pale shadows, giving hopes to those around him. And his face had become a feral beauty; Heart-shaped with plum cheeks, luscious lips and large deep blue eyes that remained innocent despite all the horrors they've been put through. The pressure of war could still be seen though. It was evident in the prominent dark rings that hung around his eyes like permanent eyeliner from lack of sleep. Every time the group saw this there was always that phantom pain.

Since the war began none of them could get a good night's rest. There was always the possibility of being called to duty or the occasional explosion blasting them awake. Now the war had finally grown to a point where they could not afford to lower their guard, to not be alert and in turn they gave up sleep. It would be like a death wish any other way. Everyone was suffering from sleep deprivation but they could all see that Naruto suffered far worse than the rest. The blonde seemed to have already been suffering from years of sleep deprivation before the war but with the addition of it the results were far worse. It was rare to see the blonde sleep. Always, he was pushing himself for others; taking their watch times so they could sleep themselves and assigning more missions to himself to relieve the load for others. It was insane but the blonde wouldn't stop. When Tsunade begged for him to reconsider he always found a way to reassure her, saying Kyuubi would heal him. Most knew about the fox now and some didn't know whether to be glad they had him on their side or curse it for giving Naruto the excuse he needed to ignore their pleas for his health.

Now looking to the blonde's somber eyes a slight stab of guilt washed over the group. Finally he had been able to get some actual restful sleep, who were they to complain if they had to wait a little longer.

"Naruto take your seat, we'll begin the meeting now" said Tsunade, her aged eyes haunted by the death of yet another lover. She knew she should have told him her feelings long ago but she had thought it had made him stronger not knowing. Now…now it was just too late. She smiled towards her apprentice who took a seat by her husband, Rock Lee. Who would have thought the two would have actually gotten together? It funny and yet there was romance there no one dared to deny.

Naruto looked around for a seat and found the only space remaining was between the two last loyal Uchiha brothers. With a withered sigh he took his seat. Sasuke looked at his dobe, his best friend. It pained him to think that the blonde had been avoiding him but memories brought back more than enough reasons why he should. The feeling of his hand ripping through Naruto's chest not once but twice the fourth time they'd fought was still fresh in his mind. Naruto had been trying to convince him to come back to Konoha then. He'd become a puppet to Madara even though Itachi had tried to protect him. If Kyuubi's healing factor hadn't been there Sasuke was sure the blonde would have been dead. He'd hurt his dobe so much on his quest for vengeance. Abandoning leaf for sound when he was younger and hurting Sakura's feeling so harshly, and then thrusting a chidori into his own best friend's chest for power on his escape to Orochimaru's layer. It had all been despicable. And even worse was that his wrong decision did not end there. He'd learned all he could from Orochimaru for three years and it had cost him more than he was willing to give. He'd never felt more joy than the day he had killed Orochimaru and freed himself from the pedophile's clutches. It was annoying to admit it but Naruto had been right, he had been a fool.

But it took him years to realize this, years of traveling with team snake to hunt down Itachi. He'd nearly killed Itachi and then Madara had swooped in and taken control of his confused mind. He'd twisted his hatred to fight against Konoha, to fight against his very home and ultimately to fight against Naruto. When Madara had told him about Itachi's side of the story he was so glad to know his brother was still alive. Naruto and his team had gotten there in time to save him and bring him back to Konoha.

All this time he had thought Itachi had destroyed his life in order to gauge his strength only to find out it had been his own clan planning to revolt. Due to mistakes of his forefathers Itachi had been forced to take such a harsh responsibility of eliminating them before they could create another great war. His older brother had only been loyal and Sasuke couldn't help but feel angry at himself for forgetting all the love and concern Itachi had shown when he was younger. He had been angry and Madara had manipulated that power until Naruto came along and freed him from his own darkness once again. It took two chidoris to his chest but Naruto never gave up and Sasuke loved him for it.

Itachi had been dying when Naruto's team had found him, on the verge of death. Itachi had made one final move to help his village when he found out what Madara and Pain had been planning. He'd tried to eliminate as many Akatsuki members as possible before he died. He'd been lying on the same battle field where Sasuke had left him, dying from his illness when Tsunade saved him. Naruto had found it fit to search through his records and seek the truth of the massacre. Something even Sasuke himself had not thought to actually do.

Because Itachi had pulled through Sasuke saw the chance of recovery in their relationship. Itachi had suffered just as much as him if not worse. Recovery wasn't easy though, at first the conversations between the two when they had gotten Sasuke back had been awkward. A mix of short and clipped sentences until Naruto came along and tried to ease the road for them. The blonde had a way of irritating a smile to one's face. After Jiraiya had died and Naruto began to withdraw into himself though the two had been forced to speak. They'd worked together to get the blonde to come out of his room, to stop mourning his sensei and be happy again. Now Naruto was acting strange again, hiding from them and the two didn't know why. Once Sasuke had suggested maybe it had to do with Kyuubi but Itachi had disagreed. There was something else, a lot of some-things that were worrying their blonde. Itachi and Sasuke had both made a promise to figure out what was going on with Naruto. A foundation to their new found brotherly relationship.

The both of them were content that the blonde was seating between them. The knowing smirks on their faces indicated the planning it took for this to come about. Suddenly Naruto felt a chill run down his spine but choose to ignore it and listen to Tsunade.

Their Hokage stood before them, her aged eyes searching each face before taking a deep breath and beginning her speech.

"As you all know the forces of Sand and leaf are weakened. We've been stretched too thin over the last months and I fear today may be the end. Akatsuki is in control of eight of the legendary bijou, the last is within Naruto as we all know and that is all that stops them from being unbeatable. If they capture Naruto or Kyuubi it will mark the end of this world as we know it. If they defeat Leaf the will of fire shall still remain. I do not ask any of you to follow me on this suicide run" She looked over the crowd to make this very clear before continuing.

"It would be much too much to ask of you. What I do ask is that you decide what you wish to do. Akatsuki will not wait for anyone. We are the last of the five great villages. It can not end here!"

Everyone listened to Tsunade's words with solemn ears. So it has finally come down to this. The end of the line had been drawn. Kurenai looked at her swollen stomach and refused to cry. She wouldn't, couldn't allow herself to show weakness to these brave souls.

"Kurenai please stay at the base and prepare to escape through the tunnels. Ino will escort you" said Tsunade.

Ino jumped up to this. Her knowing eyes snapped onto her husband's face. She knew what was going on here.

"You told her to do this didn't you? Why! Why won't you let me fight with you Chouji? Have I not proven that I can stand by your side?"

Chouji flinched at his wife's anger. He did not mean to make her feel weak; its just he couldn't bear the thought of her death or anything worse befalling her. When they had agreed to see it to the end he hadn't thought they would ever lose. Now that reality was staring them harshly in the face he knew there was no chance in hell that he's let her die.

"Ino I don't want to see you fall under the sword of another. Live for the two of us please" pleaded the masculine boy, no longer chubby due to Naruto's discovery of a better way to increase his chakra reserves.

Ino fumed but she knew she would not win. Kurenai needed protection; she was carrying all their hopes within her. Ino could not bring herself to abandon this mission. As much as it hurt her shinobi pride to say it the others were needed for the battle. They could not spare someone like Naruto or Sasuke from the battle field. Even Sakura had earned her keep in time and was essential. It would pain her to leave her family behind but she had to do it, only she could. Silent tears streamed down her face as she hugged Chouji for dare life, missing his plumpness for the first time in years. War seems to have made them all into effective killers.

"Thank you" was all he said, a pained smile on his face knowing just what he had asked of her. These days it seemed like pained smiles were all they could afford.

"Well folks time waits for no one, lets get out there and give them hell!" rallied Tsunade.

The Ninjas got to their feet and yelled, "Hai, Hokage-sama!"

Shikamaru gathered them around and gave the best strategy for their attack. If you had someone precious you hugged them and said your last goodbyes before leaving for their final mission. The time had come to end the struggle.

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Okay that's it for now. Did you like it? Please review to tell me if you did. I'm glad to have been able to get this off my chest.


	2. Chapter 2: A war postponed

Okay ladies and gents I'm back with the next chapter, and thank you to all those who reviewed. I should have replied to you by now and I hope you all like this chapter. First off I would like to remind you guys that I'm not the best writer when it comes to war scenes. I'll try to make it as cool as I can but please bear with me on and please don't be mad at me but Temari and Kankurou are dead right now but I have a plan to bring them back so please be patient. Temari is meant for Shikamaru anyway so you know she's needed. So please enjoy this story as much or as little as you like. Bye.

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It's not like I'm walking alone into the valley of the shadow of death  
Stand beside one another, 'cause it ain't over yet  
I'd be willing to bet that if we don't back down  
You and I will be the ones that are holding the Crown in the end  
When it's over, we can say, "Well done"  
But not yet, 'cause it's only begun  
So, pick up, and follow me, we're the only ones  
To fight this thing, until we've won  
We drive on and don't look back  
It doesn't mean we can't learn from our past  
All the things that we mighta done wrong  
We could've been doing this all along_

_Everybody, with your fists raised high  
Let me hear your battle cry tonight  
Stand beside, or step aside  
We're on the frontline!_

_And we'll be carrying on, until the day it doesn't matter anymore  
Step aside, you forgot what this is for  
We fight to live, we live to fight  
And tonight, you'll hear my battle cry  
We live our lives on the frontlines  
We're not afraid of the fast times  
These days have opened up my eyes  
And now I see where the threat lies_

_We live our lives on the frontline  
We're not afraid of the fast times  
We live our lives on the frontline  
We're not afraid of the fast times  
We've got to lead the way!  
We've got to lead the way!_

_Everybody, with your fists raised high  
Let me hear your battle cry tonight  
Stand beside, or step aside  
We're on the frontline!_

"_**Frontline" by Pillar**_

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Chapter 1: A war postponed.**

As Naruto stepped outside to clear his mind of the battle to come he couldn't help but sigh. The air was calm, eerily so…almost like they were in the eye of the storm. Looking to his left and right he saw what was left of his home. It wasn't much; Akatsuki had done well to level almost every building to the ground with their explosive. The sky was getting darker, gathering angry clouds as though it knew what was to happen a few minutes from now.

"It sure looks like the end of the world doesn't it?"

Naruto's blue eyes snapped onto Kakashi, his former sensei. He gave him a grim smile and shifted to the side so the Anbu Captain could seat beside him on the singed grass. They sat cross-legged and watched as the crows circled the skies, already anticipating the meal ahead. Naruto had to frown in disgust at that thought. During the first months of the war it had been very disheartening to see your comrades be eaten by the birds. It was due to this everyone had agreed to cremate their brethren rather than leave them to the birds or worse to bury them on a land soon to be conquered by their vile enemies. It would have been like a slap to the dead if the latter had come to be.

"They won't stop just because you're looking at them" said Kakashi, catching Naruto's train of thought as he glared at the birds.

Naruto sighed, "I know Kakashi but I just hate it. I…just…hate it…"

Kakashi nodded, in complete understanding of the younger man's statement. Looking towards the west he felt his stomach churn. He could already see Akatsuki's army marching in, their black cloaks bellowing in the wind and their battle drums haunting. He didn't want to admit it less he lose his courage but Akatsuki scared him. He couldn't imagine how a small group of Nuke-Nins were able to take their entire world by storm. Pain's ambitions had come from nowhere. Back then the stupid villages had been happy to hand over their Jinchuuriki. Kakashi was sure if they knew this would be what came of their decision they would have blanched.

At first it seemed they could defeat Akatsuki. They only had ten major commanders after all and when Itachi had defected things had been looking up but then Sasuke had leveled the playing field, joining hands with Akatsuki for a time. Villages like Rock behaved like their namesake and were just as hard-headed. They had believed they could handle their own and alienated themselves when Konoha had been calling for allies. They had regretted their choice when Akatsuki had invaded them three months later looking for an advantageous landscape to attack Konoha. The survivors had been welcomed into Konoha but that had probably been a mistake. The rock Nin had the bright idea that they could take over Konoha from the inside. There had been a civil war that had lasted five months before Tsunade could squash the rebellion. It had weakened them all and Akatsuki had swooped in and laid claim to the scattered defenders. Konoha had been forced to regroup then, pushed into the depths of their own village. The council had made another stupid decision then, they'd ruled to seal Naruto away. Surely if Akatsuki's objective were to be sealed away they would give up right…wrong. Akatsuki fought harder than before and by the time Tsunade and the others had been able to repeal the stupid law, they had paid drastically. Naruto would never be the same, optimistic boy. There would always be a dark shadow hanging over his head. Kakashi looked towards the young man at his right.

"Stop"

"Stop what?" asked Kakashi, startled by the boy's sudden command.

"Stop thinking about it. I know what you're thinking about and I want you to stop. What happened in the past was in the past. We can't change it now so don't think about it" explained Naruto with a pained expression.

"But I can't help but think of what would have happened if we had stopped it" persisted Kakashi, not happy with how his team was forced to grow up so rapidly. He wanted them to know they could complain when things got too tough.

"And what would have happened Kakashi. I would have remained that ignorant teen that thought everything would go well even without a plan. No…it's fine this way. I can take responsibility now" said Naruto, his bangs covering his eyes but Kakashi swore if he looked they would have the metallic shine of a blade.

"Hmm I never thought you didn't take responsibility before this"

"I know but that's your opinion…just don't think about it. I'm here now, be glad about that" said Naruto as he got to his feet, dusting off his behind.

Kakashi shook his head but before he could say anything Sakura came rushing towards them, Sasuke and Itachi not too far behind her. Her emerald eyes shun with the fiery fever only war could bring.

"Naruto Tsunade-sama is calling you!" said Sakura as she approached the pair. Naruto seemed to breathe easier since her interruption of the conversation he'd been having with Kakashi. He nodded towards her and walked past, freezing briefly between the Uchiha siblings. There seemed to be a pause in eternity but all too soon time started moving again and Naruto headed back into the apartment building.

He walked towards the meeting room, knowing that was the only place Tsunade seemed to occupy now. He saw her staring out the window, her brown eyes searching for something but coming up short.

"You called obaachan?"

Her left brow twitched but he could see the smile on her strained face. Tsunade appreciated the little acts of affection he gave. Naruto watched as she slowly turned around, her eyes teary but he knew she would not let them fall. She was probably contemplating all their deaths. It sickened him to see her like this, for the first time in years he wished he hadn't forced her into this position. He wished he hadn't made that bet with her.

"Naruto come here" was all she said but the longing in her voice was more than enough. Naruto walked over to her, his strides determined and elegant. Unexpectedly she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing so hard he thought his ribs would crack but he didn't complain. He would give her what little comfort she could gain before their final run. When he was younger he was sure he would have never imagined himself able to call the legendary Tsunade Grandma or even claim to have fought by her side as her equal. No he would never have dreamed of this happening and yet it was and he couldn't help but feel fate had picked the wrong scenario and time.

"I never wanted to lose you or him" she whispered and Naruto gasped. Ever since Jiraiya's death she had never said his name, almost like she didn't want to believe it. For her to mention him now meant just how futile this battle was. He wrapped his arms around her waist now, him being the one in need of comfort.

"I know Obaachan, it was never your fault. He knows how much you care" he whispered. Tsunade moved back, creating space between them. Naruto caught the flash of her new silver locket he'd given her for a birthday present. Inside he'd placed a picture of Jiraiya and himself. Tsunade had cried her eyes out the day he'd given her the gift, claiming to have wanted to fill up the space the unlucky green pendant she had given him earlier made. Everyone had known that had been just an excuse but they all kept their mouths shut, somber by the strength of the emotions being shown. Tsunade wore the locket everywhere now and some say she looks at it every night. Naruto hoped he hadn't given her something to be saddened by. That was not the reason why he had bought the locket. It was for her to remember but not to regret.

Tsunade wiped away her tears, giving him a motherly smile that touched his heart.

"He would have been so proud to see who you've become. I know I am"

Naruto gasped once more and smiled, tears falling from his eyes. He'd thought the war had numbed him from most things, how wrong he had been.

"Thanks Obaachan. I want you to know you're the only mother I'll acknowledge" said Naruto. He meant it too. He couldn't really think of Kushina as his mother, sure she was his biological mother but he had never seen her, talked to her. She might as well have been a stranger to him. If she were to walk through the door at this very moment he would recognize her face but that would be it. She had probably been a nice woman, strong too from what he kept hearing but Naruto knew he could not hold her in his heart like he did Tsunade. This woman had done so much for him, protected him from almost everyone else and shed tears for him when no one else would. He couldn't just write off such affection because of blood. It just didn't work that way.

Tsunade seemed shocked by this but her brown eye showed understanding.

"You'll always be the son I've always wanted" she replied as she kissed him on his forehead. This time she would say all she had to say before it was too late. She would speak until her throat grew dry. Too bad war was already upon them.

Shizune walked in, a grim look on her face. "It's started. Our army is ready to march Hokage-sama".

Tsunade shook her head and stretched out her arms. "Shizune come here"

The dark haired woman seemed startled but she came. She gaped as Tsunade hugged her as well, tears streaming from her eyes once again.

"I'm so sorry Shizune; I never did tell you how much I viewed you as the daughter I could never have. I love you".

Shizune began to cry too, "I know Tsunade-sama and I'm glad".

The three hugged each other, said their peace and then straightened up. The troop couldn't see them this shaken up. As long as there was still a slight chance of victory they would milk it for all it was worth. They walked out of the situation room and into the street where the troops were gathered. They all looked alert and uniformed. The Anbu had already donned their masks and they awaited their final orders. Naruto moved to stand before them as their Captain and if the war hadn't come their next Hokage.

"I'm glad to say I know almost each and everyone of you but feel sadden about all the others that I have never been allowed to know. Some of them came before me, becoming the finest Anbu Captains ever seen, others passed away before I could meet them and their names I still hold dear. My fellow Shinobi, this may be our last mission together but I don't want you to think of it that way. I don't want you to think because it is our last we give it our all and throw in the towel. I want you, all of you to think of it as just another mission. It is important just like every other mission before this was. We shall still watch over our loved ones on the battlefield. We shall still follow orders and fight to our fullest but just know this is not the end! Whether in death or in life we shall fight together. Akatsuki can not defeat the will of fire. This candle has yet to meet the wind that will blow it out! We are strong and as we are strong we must defend the weak and helpless. We can not let Akatsuki reach our loved ones. So let us go today and strike a devastating blow. One they shall remember and regret for years to come!" order Naruto, his voice easily carrying over the crowd; strong and confident in their strength. His blue eyes lighting with such passion everyone within the crowd was moved.

Without their consent their confidence had been raised, their shoulders straightened and their faces were no longer pale and wary but excited and anxious. Sasuke watched the transformation with a smirk; if not the war Naruto would have made a great Rokudaime. Who knew his dobe would have grown up to be this exotic beauty, so passionate and strong. He's eyes trailed over to his brother, trying to gauge what he thought of the speech. He'd expected to see Itachi's impassive stare but instead there was a light burning there. It was the hottest kind, the blue part of the flame that could be found at the bottom but yet was the hottest part of the flame. Their gaze met and for once Sasuke saw himself in his brother's eyes. Vaguely he noticed he had the same light in his eyes as well. So Naruto's voice had touched them both. Interesting.

"Shinobi of Konoha we head out now. Hold strong to your courage and leave your fears behind. We shall give Akatsuki nothing but take from them everything!" roared Tsunade, like the lioness she was.

"March!" yelled Shizune and the army moved to her voice like it was the music needed for their dance. They marched to the gates to see Akatsuki's army waiting for them. The first wave was here and on all side, caging them in but that was okay. Animals fought twice as hard when caged in. There was a moment of complete silence, like nothing so much as breathed. In an instant it was over with the clashing of metal and then the two armies charged at each other.

No one knew what happened next, everything just seemed to blend in, all mashed together. Sakura watched in fascination from the rear as the berserkers tore into Akatsuki's frontline. Her heart stopped as she watched Naruto raise his sword. Its green stony surface shone dully, marred by blood of his enemies as he cut through the masses with ruthless accuracy. She remembered the birth of that sword, the creation of Claymore.

**

* * *

Flashback**

Akatsuki had sought to destroy their moral support. One Saturday morning Konoha had been awakened to the sound of a huge blast. Everyone had gathered around to see the smashed remains of the memorial stone. Many had cried; some had to be carried away from the scene because they had been too emotional. Even when everyone had let Naruto remained. He gathered what little pieces of the green stone as he could and walked back towards the business center of the village. Sakura remembered the dull expression he had as he walked towards Tenten's father's weapon shop, cradling the broken shards. She had asked to come along to find out what he would do with the pieces. Naruto had not argued nor had he consented. He'd just remained quiet, going through a silent fury maybe.

Naruto had walked into the shop, catching the blacksmith by surprise.

"What can I do for the young yellow flash?" asked Tenten's dad.

Naruto smirked at the name. He'd learned his father's prized technique after he'd learned to control his sage mode. Tsunade had been so proud; Kakashi had fainted for the first time in his life. It had been funny to watch.

"I would like a special sword to be made for me" he answered.

The man behind the counter's eye twinkled, "And what may I ask would this new sword mean to you?"

To this Naruto grinned, "The sword would be more than just a weapon, it would become part of me. I will take responsibility for the lives it takes. It shall not be just some tool that can be so easily discarded. For example my special scrolls here".

Naruto detaches his scrolls and lays them out on the countertop. "If one of these babies were to turn up missing I would be devastated. Sure I can make a new one but it would never be the same. I understand my sword will be a monstrous weapon that takes lives but I would like to think it can save just as many too".

Sakura watched the interaction, not sure if Naruto's answer was what the blacksmith was looking for. There was a pause and then Tenten's father seemed pleased. His whole intimidating demeanor changed.

"To create a weapon that can handle your human and demonic chakra I'm going to need your help in the making".

Naruto nodded, having guessed that much. "I'll place the special stuff like seals myself".

Tenten's father conceded, dark bags hanging under his eyes from the stress of making the army's weapons. The forge was always at work now it seemed, there wasn't a day when the black smoke didn't creep up from the chimney.

Naruto had worked for days and nights with Tenten's father until finally the sword was made. That day Sasuke, Itachi, Kakashi, Tsunade, Shizune, Iruka, Konohamaru, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, Kurenai, Ino, Chouji, Kiba, Sai, Lee and Sakura had been there to see the final result. Naruto had stood at their center, wearing a proud smile, his face slightly smudged with dirt as he announced the sword's name; Claymore. He'd asked that they'd be somewhere the sun could penetrate through. As he held the broad, green sword, watching it glitter and sparkle in the warm sunlight. The blue runes in it appeared before dissolving once again but in their wake they left the names of all their fallen comrades. It was then that everyone understood what Naruto had done. He had remade the memorial stone and this time he'd given their fallen comrades a way to fight with them. That had only been one of the many special traits the sword possessed. As the sun caught the emerald sword within its sights, it glowed and the group shivered. Suddenly many familiar faces could be seen, ghost like figures stood beside the group, creating an army of fallen shinobi. Everyone gasped, even Naruto the creator of such a marvelous weapon was taken by surprise. The sword had amounted to everything he had wanted it to be.

Tsunade felt like her head was reeling as she saw her former lovers and little brother. She didn't know whether to cry for joy or punch the lights out of Naruto for bringing up such painful memories. Suddenly the figures flickered and then disappeared.

Kakashi whistled in appreciation even though his eyes burned from the memories that strange magic brought back.

"That was quite the prank Naruto"

Naruto lowered the sword, a nostalgic look in his eyes. Finally he had been able to see his mother and father's faces, even though it had been in death. He was happy for that little gift. Tears streamed from his eyes as well as many gathered.

"I made this memorial stone mean more than just names. I had Ino's dad help me go into the minds of others to get the likeness of each person and created a seal to allow the sword to recreate them once hit by the sunlight".

"That's why you wanted to be somewhere sunny" inquired Ino, speechless for words. Naruto nodded and there was a deep silence, everyone trying to swallow the meaning of all this, the magnitude of what that sword would mean to them all in days and years to come.

**End of flashback**

* * *

So it had been known that Naruto's sword Claymore brought fort the faces of old and the shinobi of Konoha had mixed feels. At first it had been as glorious as they had all imagined it would be but then some Shinobi grew angry. They became pissed that the demon boy held the sword that held the names of all their precious people. Most though had been happy that Naruto had been considerate enough to save the memories of their loved ones. It had been shaky at first but soon Naruto earned his right to keep his sword as he brought fort a new wave of terror on Akatsuki's troops in battle.

Sakura could see it now, as Naruto raised his sword to bring it down on the enemy. The sun, having fought its way past the clouds shinning brightly upon it and in that instant a mighty army of ghost moved at Naruto's heel. She could see the enemy army hesitate, too afraid to move, temporarily stunned but Naruto did not wait. Using his father's prized technique he zipped through the enemy army, cutting them down with ease and using their fear against them. The ghosts seemed to move with him, making it seem like they were attacking too. Even some of the Konoha Nins stopped to watch the spectacle. This move had been what got Naruto one of his many alias; Lord of the ghost army.

That one move had devastated the first wave, forcing Akatsuki to retreat slowly as reinforcements moved in. It gave some of the Konoha Shinobi time to breathe before the massive army that was Akatsuki rose again.

Lee walked over to his wife, happy to see her unhurt though he couldn't say the same for her opponents. Their bodies littered the surrounding ground by her feet. Some of their bodies mangled, others broken beyond recognition. He saw her smile and his heart lifted.

"My beautiful Cherry Blossom!" he cheered.

Sakura smiled at her husband, for once glad for his unnatural energy. "Hey Lee, lets check you out".

She moved her hands over his broad shoulders, lingering for a while then tracing his biceps and liking the feel of his flexing muscles. Her light green eyes burning with an intense emotion as she looked at his scarred arms, tracing each scar and understanding the story they bore. She'd never seen a man more beautiful in his determination; so gentle to her and yet so strong. On impulse she embraced him, hearing his shocked gasp but ignoring it as she buried her head further into his chiseled chest. How she loved his scent, it was always so natural, like the smell of the forest after rain. Refreshing and calming.

"Sakura I which I could express our youthful spirits but this isn't the time"

Sakura frowned, after the death of Gai, Lee's form of speech had changed slightly. She wished he could go back to being the bumbling idiot. Suddenly her eyes hardened as she looked towards the revived Akatsuki army, ready to deal out damage to the people who had taken so much from her. She took her husband's hand and his grip tightened, their eyes locked and she knew he felt the same. With a smile they both disappeared.

Chouji watched the two take off, feeling a hole in his heart as he thought of his beloved. He wondered how Ino was doing. He wished he could see her face once more, if only to assure her that their deaths were not in vain. Already he could see the damage they were inflicting upon Akatsuki was overwhelming. To his left Naruto was wiping out a whole row of soldiers with his demonic tail, Sasuke at his back burning the living daylights out of many more. Itachi was not too far from them doing his own thing. Chouji could find it easy to understand why those three were the head Anbu of all Konoha. They had this grace and finesse in battle that just couldn't be duplicated.

To his right he saw his best friend Shikamaru dealing out his own death. He felt pain for his friend, every since his wife Temari died he just wasn't the same. Shikamaru tried to put on a happy face for the rest but everyone knew it was eating him up inside. Temari, the wild Kunoichi had died killing Zetsu, one of the main commanders of Akatsuki. Everyone had cheered over her victory but only Shikamaru and Gaara had truly known what it had meant. Their sister and wife was gone. Gaara already having lost Kankurou three months before nearly snapped had Hinata and Naruto not brought him back to his senses.

Looking to Shikamaru's right Chouji saw Gaara ruthlessly crushing the bones of some enemy Nin. For some reason the former one-tail demon holder now stood guard over Shikamaru, always fighting by his side, its probably because only they could understand each other's pain. Chouji was glad to have some watching over his buddy when he could not. Focusing more on his fight he enlarged himself and took a swipe at the opposing forces, breaking their formation and sending many flying only to crash to the earth and break their necks. He frowned, hurting people had never been his thing but he hated having his precious people hurt even more.

Hinata watched the battle rage from the safety of the healing tent where Tsunade and Shizune worked anxiously to save lives. Akatsuki could afford losing their pawns but for them each soldier lost was a heavy blow to bear. Hinata wanted so badly to be out there, fighting with the others but she knew Naruto, Neji and Gaara wouldn't approve. They always wanted to shelter her from the worst of things. She could understand Naruto and Neji's wish to do so but Gaara took her completely by surprise. She'd asked him once why and he'd said.

'_You are too bright to be covered in blood'_

When she'd told Naruto he'd only smiled and said Gaara had the right idea. Everyone may have been fine sheltering her but Hinata couldn't help but feel like useless baggage. For now though all she could do was focus on healing the wounded and then hiding the pain when they were forced to head right back to battle. She'd seen many grown men turn into whimpering children in her time as a healer and sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if it took more of a toll doing the healing than the killing. Tsunade told her it wasn't pretty but that was something she had to find out herself. The two older healers seemed to have found that knowledge though and it showed in their eyes each time they saw a dead body. The horrors war could bring.

Neji for one enjoyed jyuukening these bastards to death, it was the only way to take out his years of anger and frustrations. Tenten covered him from the skies, raining metal upon the enemy Nin, her accuracy on point as always. Over time he'd grown to accept her usefulness as a partner. She was still no match for wind attacks but without it any enemy Nin better watch out. She'd taken to braiding her two long front bangs for her fallen comrades. He watched as several arrows scattered upon the heads of his enemies. A new skill Tenten had been playing with, shooting more than one arrow at once with painfully on point accuracy. The new weapon's mistress was feared in both armies, that was for sure.

Kakashi watched with pride as the next generation stood their ground, blasting the enemy left and right. He and Iruka were good but compared to the Rookie Nine their attacks seemed _humane_, which was a far cry from what they were. Who knew the quiet and kind Junín could be so devilish in battle.

But Kakashi knew things were going too smoothly. They'd decimated most if not all of Akatsuki's humongous army, their fuel was dancing dangerously too close to empty and the most important faces of Akatsuki were yet to show. What could they have planned?

All too soon Kakashi got his answer and suddenly he wished he had never asked. With the enemy Nin retreating on all sides, Akatsuki summoned their trump card; the bijou. The last of the true Akatsuki members from the original ten stood before them. Suddenly the clouds covered the skies, blocking the sunlight and its rays of hope. Naruto's ghost army disappeared with the light and most of the enemy Nin relaxed.

Pain, all of his bodies that is stood before them, his eyes unforgiving as he looked over the battlefield. Bodies littered the expanse of land, now painted red from the foes and allies alike. Konan stood dutifully at his side, her eyes blank but Naruto swore he saw a flicker of regret etched onto her face. Kisame grinned at her side, not the least bit moved by the scene of blood and gore. Tobi or now known Madara stood, his mask pulled to the side to reveal his stolen face. Kakashi clenched his hands to this. Obito would die a thousand times if knew what this bastard was doing to his body.

The Akatsuki members stood, completely silent when sudden the clouds burst opening. Rain descended upon the armies far too quickly, drenching them to the bone and chilling their very souls.

"A fitting end for Konoha" said the Pain with orange spiky hair. The others nodded, Kisame feeling pleased in his element.

There had been no visible announcement but suddenly both armies clashed again and this time it was like the clash of titans. Naruto and Gaara took care of trying to subdue the Bijou while the others took on the Akatsuki members. It was a hard fought battle; those of weak minds and bodies were quickly eliminated within the blink of an eye. The offensive war lasted for days, both of the armies were spent but they pushed their wary bodies to the max. The will of fire giving the last burst of energy before its inevitable death.

Konoha had fought valiantly, no army before or after them could disagree but it all came down to one thing. No matter how many Akatsuki Shinobi they killed, no matter how many Bijous they were finally able to send back to their plain they were outmatched in numbers. Akatsuki secure their victory with one last dirty trick.

No one really knew where it came from really but suddenly Pain was holding Ino's limp body by the neck. Chouji nearly had a heart attack but Tsunade assured him the girl was still alive by her breathing. But the troubled husband's pain did not amount to the chill that fell over the rest of the Konoha survivors when they saw Konan holding Kurenai's limp form. It was like a low blow to the gut, everyone knew they could do absolutely nothing now.

Hinata and Sakura dropped to their knees, bitter tears held in their eyes. How could they be so dirty?

The men in the group ground their teeth and clenched their fists but dared not move a muscle.

"Had over the nine tails and we may spare their lives" said Konan.

_Lies!_

"Do you want to see this yet-to-be-mother die for your stupid village?" asked the blue haired woman.

_Bastards!_

"Give up now and we will let you all live" said Pain.

_LIARS!_

Suddenly the wind began to pick up around Naruto, his head bowed but his jaw clenched so tightly the others feared for his teeth. Several chakra tails began to sprout from his back, weaving around menacingly. His head spanned up and his eyes were blood red with an undertone of gold that battled its way to the forefront at times, his pupils slanted to silts and red eyeliner covering his eyes. His lips formed a sneer, showing those dangerous looking pointy fangs. No one moved, even the Akatsuki members seemed to understand whatever this being was; it could not be human. The aura that simply oozed from the blonde was so thick, it was downright suffocating. It was his sage form mixing with his demonic form, creating a devilish being. Akatsuki watched in dismay as they army fell around them, dead by Chakra poisoning.

This new Naruto took a step forward and almost everyone wanted to cringe. His blonde hair whipped about in an unnatural wind, stray red strands catching everyone's attention. His eyes never leaving Kurenai and Ino's forms, he raised his hand and suddenly they disappeared, reappearing by his side. Kakashi and Chouji were quick to catch the two, their doubtful eyes watching Naruto tentatively as they retreated back to the rest of the group.

"_**You have the guts to place a pregnant woman in harms way!"**_ yelled Naruto, his eyes blazing, clawed fingers digging into his palm.

The Akatsuki were speechless.

"_**So short on words now are we? This is what you wanted wasn't it! You wanted Kyuubi well I'm not Kyuubi but like this I'm the next best thing!"**_ bellowed the angry man.

His powers were going ballistic; everyone could feel it slam into them though Akatsuki seemed to be having a harder time than the others. Itachi and Sasuke were not fooled by display of power though, whatever was happening was costing Naruto. Already blood was flowing from his bottom lip where he'd bitten into it to stop from screaming. His hands were already bloody from the prior battle before but now they bled anew with self-inflicted wounds. Naruto was in pain, the backlash of this much power was hurting him as well though he tried to hide it behind brave words and anger.

As if sensing this Kyuubi did the only thing he could to save his kit and his friends. Gathering Naruto's chaotic chakra he made it reach out to the group of Konoha survivors, stretching it out like a thread and spinning it around each person, enveloping them in the rainbow glow. The others watched in astonishment, not knowing what was going on. They weren't as scared as they should have been considering what was happening. They'd rather be killed by Naruto's chakra than give up to Akatsuki, besides something told them Naruto did not mean to harm them. They couldn't explain how they knew, they just did. Maybe it was because Naruto would never harm them, enraged or not and maybe it was because his chakra was so warm and comforting. Either way they stood still and let the chakra do its thing.

Kyuubi coached Naruto through the ordeal.

"**Kit relax. I won't let you die, not you, not those other humans you care for either. Relax and let me take full control"**.

Despite popular belief Kyuubi did have a heart of some sort and Naruto had found a way to worm his way into it over time. Kyuubi couldn't imagine losing the boy now, not after all he had been through. In a burst of light and searing pain they disappeared, being ripped to another time and place.

* * *

Okay that's the end of this chapter. How did you like it? Well people till next time.

Chibi Narrator: I feel so sad that so many people have to be dead for this story to get underway.

Itachi: Some shall return

Chibi Narrator: Yes some but not all…

Itachi: …


	3. Chapter 3: This is new

Okay here's a new chapter guys and thanks to all those that reviewed, you're what keeps this story going. I hope you enjoy this chapter, read and review please. Oh and I may use the bold for Kyuubi's speech on and off, I'll use bold when he's a fox and leave it normal when he turns human. I'll try to be consistent but I may screw up occasionally so don't get pissed.

_

* * *

I got a pocket,  
got a pocket full of sunshine  
I got a love that knows that it's all mine  
,oh  
Do what you want,  
but you never gonna break me,  
sticks and stone are never gonna shake me  
oh,oh,oh_

_Take me away (take me away)  
A secret place (a secret place)  
A sweet escape (a sweet escape)  
Take me away (take me away)  
Take me away (take me away  
To better days (to better days)  
Take me away (take me away)  
A hiding place (a hiding place)_

"_**Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield**_

**

* * *

Chapter 2: Welcome to the world**

** T**he group didn't understand it. One minute they were facing sure execution but now somehow they'd been transported to some unfamiliar setting. This new place was cold and dark, without a beginning or an end. The dull, grey mists of time surrounded them, clouding their way and making it hard to see what lay ahead.

Itachi blinked, confused for the first time in many years. Had Naruto sent them to a safe place only he knew about? No, this place didn't give off the feeling that anything was meant to exist there. It seemed to be offended by their mere presence. Turning to the center of their group he saw Naruto standing, no longer covered in Kyuubi's chakra. The blonde seemed to dip to the side before finally losing his footing all together. Quickly Sasuke rushed to his best friend's aid, crouching down he lifted the blonde off the floor and cradled him in his arms. Slowly they all gathered around, not sure what else to do.

Suddenly Naruto's body took on an unearthly glow. The light leapt from his body to the ground beside him, solidifying into a fox. The fox looked around before absentmindedly cleaning its silver fur as most animals tend to do. Finally it seemed to take note of them; peering over with its large red eyes it seemed to take a keen interest in Naruto. Slowly, it trotted to the unconscious blonde's side, licking at his slender fingers and then his face as if trying to wake him up. The blonde did not respond though the soft rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still alive, something that relieved the group greatly.

"Kyuubi?" asked Sakura, having never seen the fox before today.

The fox looked over to her and seemed to grin if it were possible for an animal to do so.

"**Yes Sakura, Kyuubi**" it retorted in a smug tone.

The pink haired Kunoichi bristled at this. "What the hell are you doing out of Naruto? Last I heard you were sealed".

The fox seemed to cringe at the word 'sealed' but made no move to attack her out of anger. "**I'm still connected to Naruto, only I was meant to be sealed in your world. Your seal does not mention me being restrained in other worlds**".

Everyone became confused once more.

"What happened back there?" said Tsunade; in all her years as a Shinobi nothing had ever been as bizarre as that.

"**Naruto's sage form and that of his demon form collided. It made him powerful but those two powers were never supposed to mix. The Sage's form comes from peace of mind and tranquility. His Hanyou form comes from anger and violent emotions. They were going to tear his body apart had I not redirected them elsewhere**" explained the fox.

Hinata looked towards the battered form of her crush and friend. Could she have really lost her friend so easily? It was a hard thought to swallow. "Is he okay now?"

The fox nodded and continued to lick Naruto's face. The group noticed that the places he paid attention to were healing.

"Tsunade-sama can you please look at Ino for me?" asked Chouji, holding his wife as if she were made from glass. Tsunade gave him a weak smile, reaching out to take the pale blonde from the worried Husband. "Sakura you should check on Kurenai. Kyuubi I need you to tell us what really happened, where are we?"

The fox nodded, stopped his constant licking and sat on his hind feet while he watched the humans repair their damaged bodies. He watched Hinata closely as she kneeled down to heal Naruto. She was a pure soul, she wouldn't hurt his kit. With that decision made he focus his attention on informing the group.

"**I redirected the enormous amount of chakra to breaking through the dimensional rift. I knew there was one to your world; there always is a rift to connect worlds. I brought you to the Gates of Time, for now you are safe from anyone who would seek to harm you**" said the fox as he nuzzled his cheek against Naruto's hand. His intelligent eyes looked disappointed when the blonde did not wake. Kyuubi whimpered.

"We can't just stay here. This place gives me the creeps" said TenTen, embracing herself to block the sudden chill. She gave Neji an appreciative smile when he moved closer, sharing his warmth by proximity. Many of the others seemed to agree with her sentiments.

"Shikamaru help carry Kurenai, I think they can be moved now" said Tsunade as she lifted Ino in her arms and handed her back to Chouji. Maybe he would worry less if she were in his care. Love was the strongest method of healing after all.

"**Follow me and try not to get lost, I can't guarantee your safety if you do**" warned Kyuubi as he lead the group forward. Sasuke stood with Naruto in his arms bridal style and followed the fox, noting his brother walked at his side. Something he'd have thought could never be.

They followed the silver fox, his fur making it easier to spot him in the dark. They walked for what seemed like years but were only hours. Their feet and wary bodies threatened to breakdown with each step they took. Their throats grew parched and no one talked, it took too much energy to even try. It was a wonder how Kyuubi even knew where he was going. The intense fog never seemed to lift; it only got denser as they marched forward. Colder. But Kyuubi did know where he was going, his movements were always so sure and his nine tails swished from side to side, not the least bit exhausted. Finally when they thought they could go no further Kyuubi stopped. Most of their bodies had gone into autopilot so the sudden halt did not come fast enough and some people bumped into each other. Apologies went around and then an awkward silence filled them.

The scenery had not changed; no one understood why Kyuubi had stopped. Were they lost? Just as disappointment started to kick in a strong wind blew through the mist. They clenched their mouths shut as the cold air whipped at their battered bodies. Mercifully it left and with it the fog dissolved.

"Where—

Shizune's question died in her throat as the landscape changed and a mighty throne appeared before them.

It gleamed of timeless gold, craved by the most gifted hands. The broad arms of the throne had the images of roaring lions, and its back grew wings of a crystal like substance that seemed to move. Seating upon the throne was a dark skinned man with blood-red eyes. He watched the group with a great deal of indifference written all over his handsome face. He was every bit fit for the throne he sat on, with the aura of a king and robes of white silk and the arrogant poise of one. The group couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated. His eyes landed on Naruto's limp body and a cold amusement seemed to light his eyes.

Itachi didn't know who this man was but he could feel the raw waves of power slamming into him. His protective side rose to the forefront and suddenly he didn't want this man anywhere near Naruto. Why? he did not know but he just had a feeling if this being wanted he could take Naruto away from them and they wouldn't even be able to lift a finger. He glared at the man for making him doubt himself. The mysterious man returned it with a wicked grin of his own.

Chronos waved off the open display of hostility from the Uchiha. One being as wise as he had to understand where it was coming from, the Uchiha was only trying to protect. Chronos had no intention of harming the little ones' guardians.

"_**You should count yourselves lucky to have one of the royals among your party. I don't know what has forced him to bring you all to the Gates of Time, an endless maze of shadow and mist but you must leave. Do not tarry or you shall all be lost forever**_".

With a wave of his hand, a marble door appeared from the dark depths. The others tried hard to hold in their surprise but there were gaping mouths and startled gasps. Some were louder than others, finally Ino's eyes held the light of recognition.

"Naruto sent us to the realm of time didn't he, I mean you guys have been saying Gates of Time but it's more than just a name isn't it? This is where time is watched and exists" her eyes were wide with incredibility of the situation.

Chronos nodded, pleased by her smarts. "_**That's right human, he sent you to the womb of time itself. Here lies the Past, Present and Future. You can't stay here**_".

The others looked at one another and then to the unconscious blonde and Kyuubi. Had they known what they were doing? How could they have sent them to the actual Gates of Time?

Their attention was brought back to the man when his power seemed to flare. He pointed towards the door and they knew. It was time to go. Swiftly they bowed their heads and headed for the door, trying to stay in a line with the wounded and unconscious in the middle.

Chronos watched the white marble door slam behind them and the Gate disappear. His eyes looked towards the mist and the sound of clicking heels drew near.

His daughter Pluto stood five feet from him in her sailorsuit, her long ebony hair reaching her hips. She took after him a lot, being just as dark skinned with similar red eyes and his black hair, only she'd yet to learn to distance herself from the world. At the moment her red orbs showed all the worry and concern she felt.

"Father I felt a disturbance just now. Did anything happen? Did anyone pass by?"

Chronos could tell she was trying to keep her voice indifferent but at his age there was little he couldn't see through. He chuckled at her mind set; she thought he would be ashamed of her if she showed feeling. He was not such a callous father; he could never be ashamed of his daughter. Not when she tried so hard. He shook his head and put her concerns to rest. "_**No nothing, just an old man getting old**_".

"Okay" she glanced back one final time before returning to her duty. Chronos watched her leave and felt the loneliness return. A smirk appeared upon his face; at least one of them wouldn't be bored.

_Setsuna, you and your friends are in for an exciting ride. I wonder why Kyuubi took so long to bring him back and why with all those other people. A bit slow on the delivery isn't he?_ Thought Chronos before shaking his head, "_**Oh well, I'll see it all in time**_".

He and his throne merged with the mists of time once more.

As soon as they stepped through the door, it was like stepping into the Milky Way. Stars lit their way through space and they saw planets orbit and pass them. It was beautiful, Sasuke felt sad Naruto couldn't see it. Looking down at the blonde in his arms he noticed the abnormal yet soft glow on his skin. He looked over to his companions and they too had noticed the glow.

"What is happening to him?" asked Sakura, always one of the first to worry about the boy.

"**Don't worry about it, it's his **_**inheritance**_** to glow in the presence of stars"** said Kyuubi. The others gave him puzzled looks but before anymore questions could be asked a doorway opened in front of them. Some felt a bit reluctant to walk away from the beautiful scenery to face the unknown. They braced themselves and walked into the light.

Tsunade gasped; her foot out of the doorway and on smooth grass. She looked around, surprised to see they'd been transported to a forest of some sort. She could hear the birds as they sang their songs and the rustles created by moving animals. Tears rose to her eyes, it'd been so long since she'd heard the wild life, seen the forest so green. How she missed her home prior to Akatsuki's attack. She saw her emotions reflected in the eyes of every member of their party. Would they ever go back? Would their home ever feel like home again?

Shizune gulped at the finality of it as the door vanished behind them.

"**You should all get your bearings before we move forward. I have things to do first**" said Kyuubi as he trotted away from the group. They watched him go with wary eyes, would he leave them? No, Naruto still remained with them and for that alone Kyuubi would stay.

The blonde in question began to groan, moving a bit in Sasuke's arms. He curled closer to Sasuke's chest, seeking security. The others sat and waited, and soon enough he awoke, groggy and disheveled. His deep blue eyes fluttered open, closing to adjust to the light of the sun and then opening once more.

"Where are we?" he asked, his voice hoarse as if he'd been screaming for hours. Unknowingly he snuggled into Sasuke's arms some more.

Kyuubi came back, a smug expression on his face. Whatever he had to do seemed to have gone well by the confident way he trotted back to the group.

"**Kit I brought you to a new world**".

The others choked on thin air at this. First it was the Gates of Time…now a new World? Kyuubi didn't do anything halfway now did he? Naruto said as much.

"You what?"

"**Your old world was collapsing under the rule of Akatsuki and your powers were going berserk. I couldn't let you die there, this was all I could think of**" explained the fox in a pleading manner that begged the boy to listen to reason. If this didn't shock everyone to silence nothing else could. Since when was Kyuubi anything but Smug and narcissistic?

"So where are we now?" asked Naruto like Kyuubi's tone was normal. Then again it might as well have been. No one had talked to Kyuubi except Itachi and Sasuke. No one knew what the demon really was like.

"**I think you already know Kit**" said the demon, his crimson eyes sparked with an eerie knowing.

"_Tokyo"_ said Naruto, his voice taking on a melodic tone and his blue eyes had a glazed look to them. The others didn't understand how he knew where they were. It was a bit scary if not a bit unsettling. They watched Naruto seem to space out, a telltale sign of him speaking with his tenant telepathically.

"Where's Tokyo?" asked Sakura, trying the name out for better measures.

"In Japan, in another world that is very different from ours" said Naruto as Sasuke let him crawl out of his arms.

"I'm so sorry" suddenly Naruto burst into tears.

Gaara frowned, "Sorry for what? You saved our lives".

He didn't understand why his adopted brother felt guilty. They had been losing and Naruto had done them a favor.

"Gaara's right Naruto-kun, it's okay" assured Hinata as she walked over to him and gave him a big hug. The said blond squeaked in surprise but returned the hug.

"Well now that we know we're in another dimension I think it would be best we look around. Find out the customs of this new world so we can blend in" said Kakashi, trying to stifle the shock of all that had happened by getting back to work.

"Hey anyone notice that I've gotten shorter" said Rock Lee, examining his hands and height. This didn't seem right, last he checked he was six' four''. He had a well-developed body of a twenty year old.

The others looked and yes they did notice. Now that their confusion of where they were was cleared they could focus on all the little things. The konoha survivors had been reverted back younger ages. Tsunade and most of the older adults had been turned back into their mid twenties, probably twenty-five by the look of it. The rookie nine were in-between the ages of seventeen and sixteen. Konohamaru looked as he had when he'd been fifteen. It was once again nice but unsettling. Could the chakra backlash have done this or was it something else?

Naruto looked over his body in shock; he'd gotten so used to being nineteen. People had given him more respect then…would he have to earn it all over again!

Tsunade and Shizune were left gaping, was Kyuubi and Naruto's power combined so strong! Tsunade bit her lip, she should have asked Naruto to do this earlier. No genjutsu needed now.

"No! I'm back to being a c-cup" yelled Sakura, blushing soon after when she realized she'd said her complaints out loud. She tried to save face by clearing her throat but the damage had been done. Everyone was looking at her with stupidified expressions.

"Sakura-chan if it makes you feel better I don't mind, it's not bad. You'll always look great to me cherry blossom" said Lee with a slight blush on his face as he scratched his neck in an awkward gesture.

Sakura smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek, he was always so sweet. She was glad she'd listened to Naruto and given him a chance. She still loved Sasuke but that had dampened down to a sibling sort of love. What Lee had to offer was far more than Sasuke could ever give. Lee was who she was meant to be with.

Shikamaru cleared his throat; he had nothing against the couple but in a group of people who had lost their loved ones. Emotional displays such as these were kind of hard to accept. You couldn't see it without thinking of your loved one and that led to painful stabs in the heart.

"Hey notice Itachi and Sasuke look totally identical now" said Ino.

True to her word, they did look like twins only Itachi was still the eldest, holding his solid age of twenty while Sasuke was sixteen. You could tell the younger sibling was a bit pissed by this observation but he kept his thoughts to himself.

"Soo… right… scouting mission…" said Kiba with a drawl to it, trying to get back to business.

"No need for that" came a voice.

Everyone turned their gaze to the newcomer, fear gripping their hearts of being discovered so soon. What kind of government did this new world have and where would they be placed if they were found? Scary thoughts.

A woman with dark black hair long enough to reach her ankles walked over to them. She was fair skinned with a tattoo of a flame by her left cheek. Her height was impressive though not tall enough to be thought of as an Amazonian woman, maybe five' three. She walked over to the group, her movement smooth and at ease. She did not seem phased by how different their fashion sense was. She was wearing a simple red and white sundress that stopped by her knees.

"**Aoi, so nice of you to come**" said Kyuubi, trotting to stand a few feet away from the stranger.

"Ah, Kyuubi it's been so long. How have you been and where is your charge?" asked the stranger in a pleasant tone. As she spoke the others couldn't help but notice her fangs. Was she another demon?

"**He is there**" said Kyuubi, indicating towards Naruto. "**The blonde one**".

"Ah, yes he looks just like her. So will you remain in that puny form?" the stranger teased.

The others waited for Kyuubi to grow bigger and attack but to their surprise a fire seemed to engulf him. Soon enough, a tall man stood where the fox had been. If not for the long silver hair that reminded them of his silver fur the group would have thought he was an impostor. As it was the man stood six' feet tall, with a broad strong yet lean build. His skin was almost as pale as the strange woman's. His fashion, like hers' was different. He wore black gym pants that were both baggy but fitting at the same time, a tight black muscle shirt and a white hoodie with red stripes.

"Ah, that's more like it" she said, her eyes trailing over the handsome man before her. The group suddenly felt out of place. Did these two know each other?

"Kyuubi, who is she?" asked Tsunade, not sure if it was best to stay out of the conversation or not.

Kyuubi turned back towards them, his red eyes scanning the group. "This is my old friend Aoi, she will help you guys blend into this society".

"Is that who you went to call?" asked Shizune, out of habit crossing her arms over her chest to hold ton-ton but remembering. Ton-ton was gone, her pet pig had died.

Kyuubi nodded and walked back over to Naruto. "Kit I need you to trust us okay"

Naruto meekly nodded, not knowing what else to do in this kind of situation. They really had no choice.

"Well if that's all of your party I suggest we go back to my place before we draw any unwanted attention. Don't worry about your clothes as of yet. People will probably think you're cosplaying when we walk down the street so just run with it. If someone asks you anything say we're going to a convention" explained the strange woman as she began to move out of the forest.

"Convention?" asked Hinata, not sure if it matched with what she was thinking. The group followed closely behind their strange new guide.

"Yeah, convention" said the lady, pulling away a wayward branch that would have smacked her in the face. "Here there are things called super heroes and sometimes people dress like them and meet up with other people in one location. If anyone saw the way you guys were dressed that's what they would think you guys are doing".

Sakura looked towards Naruto, both shrugged and kept moving. It was a pretty funny thing to want to dress like a super-hero. They followed the woman through the dense forest, knowing they would soon be reaching the exit as the trees began to thin.

"So what are your names?" she asked, a smile bursting on her pixie like face as they reached the road where a large red van was parked.

The shinobi looked at the odd, shining metal contraption and gave off their names absentmindedly. Too distracted by the car to focus on what they said.

"Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, Nara Shikamaru, Gaara, Tsunade, Konohamaru, Shizune, Inuzuka Kiba" The dog lover pointed to his large dog, "that's Akamaru".

"Sai, Akimichi Chouji, Yamanaka Ino, Sakura Haruno, Kakashi Hatake, Hinata Hyuuga, Neji Hyuuga, TenTen, Umino Iruka, Yuuhi Kurenai, Rock Lee, Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha" they concluded.

Aoi nodded her head, quite a lot of names to remember but she would try.

"What's that?" asked Konohamaru, inquisitive as always.

"That my dear ladies and gents is my car. It's a machine we use in this world to travel from place to place" explained Aoi, as Kyuubi watched with an amused light in his eyes.

The others nodded numbly; it was probably like a carriage only without the horses.

"Well don't just stand there, hop-in. I'll tell you more on our way to my mansion" said Aoi as she pulled open the slide door and ushered them in. The group was a bit out of it but they followed her instructions. Kyuubi made sure he sat by Naruto's side. Aoi could drive like a maniac at times. He wanted to be there for the boy so his chances of being scarred for life might reduce. He'll probably just be scared of cars for a time. Carefully and making sure he had everyone's attention he buckled Naruto in and then himself. Like the smart Shinobi they were most were able to follow his example and buckled themselves in. Others like Konohamaru had help from Tsunade. It was a tight fit due to the weapons being pushed to the back and Akamaru's large size but somehow they all fit. Itachi volunteer to sit in the front with Aoi, a foolish choice he'd soon come to realize.

"Okay everyone, buckle-up! It's going to be a bumpy ride" yelled Aoi as she stomped on the gas.

The reactions were simultaneous, many clutched onto they seatbelts with panicked eyes, others grabbed the person next to them and shut their eyes (Naruto), and oddly enough Hinata looked comfortable with a slight grin on her face. Kyuubi always knew that girl had a wild side just waiting to come out, maybe in this world without her family name to tie her down she'll be able to unwind. He laughed a little as Naruto whimpered in his arms.

"Don't be scared Kit, look we've stopped"

It's true they'd stopped at a red light and everyone was trying to readjust themselves, bracing themselves for the next round. Naruto did as Kyuubi suggested and watched as the pedestrians walked by in their strange fashion. The buildings were so tall and metal looking. It was fascinating.

"Like it Kit?"

To this Naruto nodded, he'd never seen anything like this.

"Good cause this is your new home" said the demon as he ran his fingers through Naruto's hair.

All too soon the light turned green and their little reprieve was over. Aoi sped on, taking sharp turns and cursing up a storm when people cut in front of her. The experience was truly horrifying for the travelers. Eventually, mercifully they reached their final stop and the car came to a halt outside the black iron gates of an extreme old looking Japanese mansion. For its age, it was well kept, retaining the traditional Japanese look to it only with a bit of the western touch to it. The red tiled roof was still prism shaped with golden phoenix statues on all four corners.

Aoi pressed the button for the gates to open on the steering wheel but to the others within the car it looked like magic as the gates sprung out. Aoi drove in slowly, much to everyone's relief.

"Okay this is it folks, my home the red palace" she laughed at her inside joke, "just joking about the palace bit".

Kyuubi shook his head at his partner's dry humor. She never changed. Unbuckling himself and Naruto he motioned for Sasuke to open the door. The dark haired teen had some trouble but in seconds he gained knowledge on the workings and opened the door. Everyone got out of the van, some on wobbly legs and many with green faces. Hinata jumped out with a slight hop to her steps. So she had enjoyed the ride hmm, Kyuubi grinned but said nothing.

"Okay, so where do we start on your rehabilitation into society" mused Aoi not really paying attention to the glares directed her way.

"How about you take us inside first, some of us need to use the restroom" said Kyuubi, trying his hardest to hold in his laughter at the face Kiba was making. Aoi nodded and led them all into the house; Naruto clutched onto Kyuubi hoodie for dear life and was mumbling things underneath his breathe. Kyuubi chuckled at this, patting the poor boy on the back.

Aoi brought out a golden key from her purse and unlocked the red wood door. "I'll be making extra keys for you guys soon but until then you'll be staying inside with me okay".

Itachi and the rest nodded; secretly on the inside he'd enjoyed the ride just as much as Hinata. Aoi led them into the house, closing the door after the last person entered. She gave the group an encouraging smile before leading them down the hallway into the reception area where a spiraling staircase led up to the second floor. She proceeded to show them the Kitchen, instructing them on how everything worked was a bit hard but she got through it and then showed them the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen, separated by a sliding door.

"You don't wash your clothes by hand?" asked Naruto.

Aoi grinned, "Nope, I mean you can if you want to but this is so much easier".

To prove her point she asked them to each take off any piece of clothing they wouldn't mind washing for a demonstration. Most of the boys turned the armor back into its basic plain t-shirt state and gave it to her. With enough clothes inside she showed them how to start the machine, what to press and what not to press. Tenten crouched down and watched the load whorl with fascination. When she'd been an elder sister of five siblings she used to be the one to wash all their clothes. Now she couldn't help but feel like crying, her siblings had been evacuated with the rest but she had her fears. What if they hadn't made it? She'd never know now.

"Well lets get on to the next thing" ushered Aoi and Tenten couldn't be happier to leave those dreary thoughts behind. She led them through another sliding door with a tiger painted on it into the living room. "This is the living room; feel free to relax here at anytime".

She taught them how to use the remote controller, this the boys caught onto really quickly.

"You have a fireplace?" asked Sakura as she walked towards it.

Aoi smiled and practically floated to her side. "Ah, yes Sakura-san I do. Mine is an old type so you actually have to get the wood and light it. Nowadays you can use an electric one and it lights itself with a switch".

Sakura nodded, glad that there was something that had to be done the old fashion way. This realm seemed beautiful but in its beauty it was also scary. She followed Aoi as she led them out of the living room and back into the hall. The shiny wooden floors causing them to slide sometimes but mostly that's if you wanted to or not, it was controllable. Aoi opened another slide door, this time this one needed a key which she promised to make copies for everyone.

"This is where you'll be learning most things about our world" she said and she pushed the slide door out of the way, this one was made of the same red wood as the front door and took more effort. Inside was a vast library, with tall bookshelves that reached the ceiling all forming a circle, giving walking space at its center.

"This is amazing Aoi-san!" said Sakura, Hinata nodding her head in agreement. Aoi seemed pleased as she led them to each bookshelf telling what category it held.

"Kyuubi has told me of your armor so I'll just have to teach you of the fashion of this place, but just for the experience I'll take you shopping later anyway" mused Aoi as she finished introducing them to her home library.

"Aoi-san do you live with anyone else?" asked Naruto, noticing how they ran into no one in the halls.

Aoi's eyes seemed to darken with a deep emotion. "No Naruto-san I don't but you guys are here now and that's good enough".

She cheered up easy but Naruto could tell she'd been lonely and by the way Kyuubi's eyes followed her, he could tell too. She showed them the rest of the bottom floor; her studio where she practiced art, guestrooms, bathrooms which Kiba made use of and the back of the house where she had a koi pond. Finally she brought the group back and led them upstairs where she assigned each a room along the halls, hers' being the very last down the hall.

"Well since it's getting really late, how about I cook something for everyone and we all go to sleep. I don't think walking around was very pleasant for Kurenai in her condition" said Aoi.

To this Tsunade nodded and the rest of the party went downstairs. Most of the females within the group decided they wanted to help Aoi cook and get used to the kitchen. Aoi thought it was a good idea and allowed them to do so. The men could here laughter from the kitchen as accidents were taking place no doubt. Kyuubi on the other hand was teaching the guys how to relax and truly master the TV. Naruto stayed close to Kyuubi, completely bewildered by the whole day and a bit scared of what was to come next.

By noon the group had dinner on the dinning table. They hadn't realized how hungry they had been until the food was staring them in the face. By sheer will they were able to eat slowly and not rush through the food like savages. It wouldn't do for Aoi to think she'd be sharing her house with pigs. Before long they were all heading off to bed, their bodies wary from the day's activities and their minds still reeling, trying to comprehend all that they had learned today. The transition to adapt to this new world wouldn't be easy, they could already see that.

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Chibi Narrator: I hope that was a nice chapter for everyone.

Itachi: I think it was.

Chibi Narrator: Wish I would get more reviews. Oh well.


	4. Chapter 4: takes some getting used to

Okay here's the next chapter. I'm going to tell you right now I like Naruko better than Naruto. If some of you can tell where I'm going with this, great and for those who can't read on and you'll be amazed. Oh and for another pointer, I'm working from both Sailormoon's anime and manga. In the manga it has been stated that Uranus is both a man and a female. Apparently she's a gender-bender that can change into a girl to be a sailorscout. It is the same for the star lights though you will not be seeing them till much later. The stage takes place when the sailor scouts think Sailor Venus is the princess. If you like it please don't be shy, review.

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I walked across an empty land  
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand  
I felt the earth beneath my feet  
Sat by the river and it made me complete  
Oh simple thing where have you gone?  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
So tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

_**Keane – Somewhere only we know.**_

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Chapter 3:**** Needs some getting used to.**

** N**aruto opened his eyes to see a familiar scene. Seating up he looked around to be certain it was the moon kingdom. It was, the landscape had not changed and everything was still in ruins. Naruto decided this time he would not walk around, he'd wait for Selene. She was sure to come so he just waited, humming a soft tune to himself.

"I'm surprised you remember that song but it brings joy to my heart hearing it" she said.

Naruto turned around to see Selene seating on a fallen pillar. He walked over to her, eager to be near her and hear more of her stories. There was a strange connection he felt to this place that he couldn't shake. He couldn't understand it but with all that has been going on he wasn't so certain anymore that he hadn't been here before. Maybe Kyuubi had taken him to a different world when he was younger but he just couldn't remember. Either way he wanted to know more about this place and this woman.

"What is the name of the song I was just humming? I do not know it myself, it just came to me".

Selene offered him a seat beside her as she too began to hum it. "It is a song handed down through the royal family of the moon kingdom. I have sang it to only two people".

Naruto's blue eyes widened, "and I'm one of them! But I can't be of the royal house. I'm the son of the yellow flash of Konoha and Kushina of whirpool village. I have known no royalty since my birth".

Selene frowned, cupping his chin into her palm. "But you are royalty Naruto; in everyway that counts you've proven yourself to be a leader of many".

Naruto covered her hands with his, feeling the comfort from her warm hands. "Thank you but it seems I have failed just as many as well".

Selene sighed and leaned back, "Do you honestly think so…maybe you'll need to hear this from the very people you have saved with your grace. Wait and later you tell me if you are unworthy to lead but know that only a good leader would hesitate to claim so. The proud and arrogant are quick to fall under their own swords".

Naruto looked towards this wise woman and grinned. "I'm glad Kyuubi has beaten my pride each time it has reared its head".

Selene nodded, "but there is a place and time for everything. Do not be so quick to let go of your pride, it is useful for some things just know when it is unnecessary".

"I will try" agreed Naruto as he saw the truth to her words. Selene hugged him. "It seems our time is shorter now that you are where you are meant to be. I shall not leave you but you must go now".

"What do you mean?" his question was left hanging as everything began to dissolve around him, including himself. Naruto woke up to something tickling his nose. Opening his eyes he found it was just one of Kyuubi's tails. Chuckling he began to pet the silver fox, causing Kyuubi to stir. Apparently the spirit fox had been tickling Naruto in his sleep. "All you ever do Kyuubi is sleep"

"_**Whose fault is that brat**_?" came the grouchy comeback.

Naruto grinned and jumped off the bed, stretching out his sore muscles. Waging war was not an easy thing on the body, mythical fox in you or not. Kyuubi watched lazily from the bed, "_**So are you going to keep that form? This being a new beginning and all I think it's best to start with no secrets**_".

Naruto paused, keeping his back to his foster-father. "Not yet…I'll tell them when the time comes, please do not rush me…"

Kyuubi sighed, hopping of the bed himself. "_**It's your secret, just don't wait too long. Things tend to turn out bad when you do**_".

Naruto nodded, turning around to scoop the fox into a hug. "Okay, now I need to ask you a favor…"

Kyuubi rolled his eyes, if an animal could do that. "_**I already know, I can smell it you know. Aoi stores them in the closet, wait a sec"**_

To this Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "What would I ever do without you?"

Kyuubi jumped out of his embrace, trotting towards the door before changing into a human. "Lets hope you never have to find out. Smells like Aoi's cooking, I'll be right back".

Naruto plumped himself onto his bed, tracing the graphic designs on the covers with his index finger. Not long after Kyuubi came back in with a slight bulge in his jacket pocket. Naruto jumped up and rushed him before dashing for the bathroom. After a few more seconds he came out again, a slightly calmed air around him. Kyuubi shook his head but held the door open for his kit. Naruto nodded before stepping out into the hallway. The two walked towards the kitchen together. "I'm so glad to finally get something new into this stomach of mine. Rationing did not agree with my stomach in the least".

Kyuubi chuckled at his kit's groaning, the boy could be such a child at times. Upon arriving at the kitchen they were met by a horrific sight. Gaara stood in the kitchen with Aoi, in a pink apron and he was actually helping her cook. Everyone froze.

"Should I be expecting flying pigs soon or the apocalypse?" jested Naruto, he'd trust Gaara with his life but he wasn't so sure about his stomach. Gaara glared as expected but continued to flip the pancakes. Aoi popped in from the storage room. "Oh, Naruto-kun, Kyuubi you guys are awake! That's good, Gaara has been such a great help with breakfast. I woke up and expected no one to be awake and thought why not start on the meal when Gaara surprised me and kindly offered to help".

Naruto and Kyuubi looked to one another, not sure whether they should tell her that Gaara would always be awake. Naruto's sleeping habits were only second to Gaara who was an insomniac, who couldn't sleep at all. Taking Shukaku out of him hadn't changed that, Kyuubi said that habit had been rooted too deeply to be removed. Seeing nothing they could do Naruto and Kyuubi simply nodded. Aoi looked far too happy for them to bring up their concerns for their foods safety. Well Naruto reasoned if he could trust Gaara with his life, he could try to do the same with this…he'd just have someone else take the first bite.

Kyuubi grabbed an apple from the counter top, kissed Aoi on the head and walked towards the living room. Everyone else stood there shocked. Had Kyuubi just shown affection to someone other than Naruto? Naruto shook it off but not before he caught the slight blush on Aoi's cheeks. So there was an attraction there after all.

With nothing to do and Gaara sending off the 'go away or die' vibes Naruto decided it was best to follow the bijou's example. He and Kyuubi had been watching the weather channel before Ino came in. She looked so disheveled Naruto wanted to laugh so badly his insides hurt but he held it in. The bruises from the last time he'd made that mistake still hurt each time the wind blew a little too hard. Kyuubi however, being the invincible bijou that he was didn't hold such restraints and busted into hysterical laughter. Naruto noticed the twitch in Ino's left eye and quickly moved away from the fox. As soon as he was in the clear a kunai went flying, sadly Kyuubi caught it and there was no bloodshed to be had. The sound of the flying kunai had woken more people though.

Tsunade, Kakashi, Itachi, Sasuke and Sakura had rushed into the room with weapons of their own. Obviously they had been half asleep when they'd picked them. Sasuke for one had a table lamp instead of his usual sword Kusanagi. Itachi was holding a hanger, Tsunade a slipper, Sakura a comb and Kakashi a teddy bear? What the heck! Naruto decided then and there he'd seen it all. If only Akatsuki could see them now, the famed Konoha shinobi armed with household items. He couldn't stop himself any longer, he laughed till his stomach began to cramp on him.

"hahaha laugh it up dobe, next time it'll be you" growled Sasuke, still high sprung but feeling like an idiot. Itachi of course was trying to play it off, placing the hanger in the nearest closet as though that had been his plan from the start. He wasn't fooling anyone though, Kakashi sighed before plumping himself down beside Kyuubi, still holding mister snuggles. Kyuubi simply raised a brow to that but said nothing. Kakashi had never been a normal shinobi. The Anbu captain gave the bijou a nod of acknowledgment before turning his gaze to the TV. Tsunade sighed and dropped the slipper, still adamant in her belief that it was a good weapon. Sakura huffed before returning to her room to wake her husband Rock Lee. It was far too early in the morning for this!

"So what ticked off Ino to make her throw a kunai at Kyuubi?"

"Oh nothing really Sai, Kyuubi just laughed at her wild morning hair" smoothly replied Naruto.

"A brave yet foolish thing to do"

"You said it Sai…wait Sai! When the hell did you get down here?" yelled Naruto, nearly jumping out of his skin. The pale male sat beside him nonchalantly.

"I didn't get my place in the Anbu for my vocal abilities. No if I am correct that was Naruto-san" said the Uchiha-look-alike. Everyone watched as Naruto's face reddened a bit and a creepy smile came over his face. That was the only warning they got before he kicked Sai off the chair. "Now what was that about ability?"

"Dickless as always" smugly spat Sai from the floor.

Kyuubi was quick to hold back his charge as the boy kept reaching and straining for Sai. Most of everyone was here now, awakened by the commotion and the sight of a pink faced Naruto spouting fire as he struggled to get past Kyuubi's hold to get Sai was too comical. Everyone was either outright laughing or chuckling to themselves. Some even looked on in disbelief; surely this could not be their Anbu captain. Just where did all the dignity go again?

"Ahem" Aoi cleared her throat, standing by the kitchen doorway with Gaara at her side. He still had the cuddly cute pink apron but the mean glare on his face and the tense way he was holding the large spoon made many hesitate to laugh. Many except Kyuubi, whose hold on Naruto had gone lass while he laughed, remained silent. Before anyone could think to avert the disaster Naruto and Sai had already gotten into a heavy fist fight, mindless brawler style. Tsunade shook her head, for the record these were not her shinobi.

"Ahem" Aoi was forced to clear her throat again but this time the room actually vibrated. Everyone stopped what they were doing…well Sai did after one last punch to Naruto's face. The blonde glared at him but did nothing as Aoi glared at him, daring him to try. Finally when she was sure the children were tamed she began to speak again. "O-okay a bit cranky today are we?"

"No offense Aoi but you're dealing with sleep deprived teens with the stamina of mulls" chimed Kyuubi as he pretended to clean his nails and not notice the glares directed at him.

Aoi clapped her hands together as if she'd just got the brightest idea. "Oh right I forgot about that, well you guys can carry on after breakfast. I haven't shown you the Dojo yet anyway".

With the mention of food several stomachs made themselves known. Eating became the number one priority again. They all followed Aoi into the dinning room, their eyes watering at the sight of the food choices. Yesterday had seemed like a dream, eating these delicious dishes made them realize just how real this all was. They were really in a different world. They weren't in Konoha anymore and may never be able to go back to their home. They were back to their teenage years with little knowledge on this new society and its rules. The atmosphere suddenly darkened. It seemed to be an unspoken rule; no one spoke about it or cried until they were away from the dinning table. They couldn't breakdown in front of their host since that would be rude.

Aoi and Kyuubi sensed the change however but said nothing; it wasn't their place to say anything. Everyone donned on their fake smiles and breakfast went by pleasantly if not a little bit quietly.

Once they had finished eating and taking care of the dishes everyone but Naruto, Kyuubi and Aoi asked to be excused. Naruto, stayed seated his bangs covering his eyes but his fists were clenched. Kyuubi pretended not to see this as he turned towards the window. The birds look so pretty in the trees. Aoi sighed, "Don't blame yourself Naruto-san…they just need to get it out".

"I feel horrible for taking their home from them" he mumbled.

"You rather they had died then. I would have protected you no matter what and you would have been forced to live without them Kit. It is my duty to protect you and you know that now" said Kyuubi, not bothering to look away from the window. He didn't want to see his charge this way.

Naruto shook his head vehemently, "That's not it! I just…"

Kyuubi began to rise, walking over to his kit and placing his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "You needed this new beginning for several reasons. Stop hesitating and use it" he growled.

Aoi stood up as well, "If it's not too much trouble can you round up everybody around 12. Bring them to the library please".

Naruto watched the two leave, both his heart and stomach were twisted into many painful knots. What was he going to do? He knew what Kyuubi was asking of him but could he do it after how badly it'd went the last time. Naruto let his head drop to his palms, this really sucked.

Itachi and Sasuke had just been on their way back to the dinning room to ask Kyuubi something when this conversation had been taking place. They heard Aoi and Kyuubi taking their leave and without meaning to they hid in the shadow of a pillar. They listened as the two began to talk again.

Aoi frowned at Kyuubi, "Did you have to be so blunt?"

Kyuubi grimaced, "I can't stand by and let my kit be eaten up by regret. She can't rely on that failsafe for long and even if she could I wouldn't let her".

Aoi chuckled, "A tough father huh"

Kyuubi frowned, "That's all I can be now". The two disappeared down the corner. Sasuke and Itachi came out of their hiding place, looking to each other in wonder. What had they meant by that? She?

**

* * *

Scene Skip – Ino and Chouji**

Ino and Chouji had taken a walk along the back garden, holding hands as they walked onto the small red bridge over the koi pond. Ino took a seat on the rail while Chouji stood by her side, facing the pond. He opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come. Ino sensed her husband's hesitance and took the initiative to sooth his worries. She handed him a barbeque flavored potato chip bag she'd picked up from the kitchen. Chouji looked up at her, startled.

"Take it…I haven't seen you with one of these in a long time and it scares me".

"Ino…" Chouji took the bag and opened it but he didn't begin to eat as he used to. Ino sighed, playing with her wedding ring that now hung on her neck since her finger was too small for it now. She began to speak again, her eyes misting over. "Ah, I missed this you know, all of it. Do you remember how you proposed to me…you gave me a potato chip bag much like that one. I was so surprised because Shikamaru said you didn't like to share your potato chips with just anyone. Still you ordered me to open it and eat with you, I felt so entitled then. How surprised I was to see a jade ring waiting for me inside. I was so touched at how well you understood me. I hadn't wanted to be like every other bride, getting a diamond ring. You knew this and that's why you gave me a beautiful jade ring".

Chouji looked away for the chip bag and noticed Ino was crying. He tried to reach out to comfort her but she shook off his hand. "No let me finish this, you need to know, I need to get this off my chest. I've missed the carefree fights, the laughter and jokes between all of us. Most of all I've missed you teddy bear".

"Ino I'm right here" assured Chouji. Ino shook her head, her tears continuing to fall despite how much she tried to will them away. "It's not that same! Ever since that blasted war no one has been the same. Look, you haven't even taken a bite from the potato bag since you opened it. Ever since Naruto figured out a way to make you stronger without the need of the extra weight you've focused more on building your muscles. You don't indulge in food the way you used to. You know I've always thought the way you proposed to me was so cute. I miss my big husband Chouji".

Chouji smiled, tears running down his cheeks. "I'd always thought you picked me because you couldn't be with Shikamaru".

"Chouji!"

"No let me finish. When Naruto had told me that I didn't need the extra weight to use my family jutsus to fight I was so happy. I thought me losing a few pounds would please you a bit" confessed Chouji. As a child he'd been taught to never question his weight or allow others to pick on him for it. He was taught that he was who he was and nothing made him any less of a person. For Ino he'd wanted to be something more, to change for her. Ino began to cry more fiercely, jumping down to his side and giving him a big hug. "I don't care about your weight Chouji, I…never since we were kids. I like my plump teddy bear; I think most girls are missing out when I think of you. You're not second to anybody, I'm so sorry if I ever made you feel that way dear!"

Chouji smiled through his tears, holding his wife closer. "So I can go back to tasting the foods of the world?"

Ino chuckled, "Why not, my cooking skills are just wasting away anyway. I'm so glad we got this out now before it became a strain on us".

Chouji nodded, "Me too dear. So you like the potato chip proposal that much"

Ino grinned, "Loved it, can't wait to tell our kids about it…Chouji do you ever think we'll be able to show our kids our home?"

Chouji sighed, not too sure himself. "I don't know Ino. I honestly don't know".

Across the garden, behind a tree Shikamaru watched the couple resolve their problems. His heart ached because he was both glad for them and sad that it couldn't be him and Temari sharing their heartfelt problems. He'd take on any problem just to be with her again. Not wanting to disturb their sanctuary he walked away from the couple and back into the main building. When would his heart heal?

**

* * *

Scene Skip- Tenten and Neji**

"So what are we looking for again?" asked Tenten, not a fan of books but for Neji it didn't hurt to try. The boy in question was already stacking up books he obviously deemed important. He turned to Tenten, knowing how bored she must be feeling and feeling guilty for putting her up to this. His lavender eyes stared at Tenten with so much love but because her back was turned she didn't see. These were the only times he could stare at her so freely, surely a relationship with him would be more troublesome than its worth. Tenten deserved more than to marry into the branch house. He couldn't place any child he may have through the same hell he went through. The life of knowing that you could die just because someone was having a tantrum and the pain of just having the mark branded on them, Neji couldn't allow it. He couldn't allow himself to love so freely.

"I'm trying to gain some basic knowledge on this world" he smoothly answered so she didn't suspect anything. Tenten turned around and gave him a questioning look. "Didn't Aoi-san say she was going to teach us about it? Shouldn't we leave it to her?"

Neji shook his head, for her to remain so innocent even through a war. "I don't like the idea of waiting for somebody to tell me their point of view on things Teten. I want to make assumptions based on my own knowledge".

Tenten gave a hesitant nod, "I guess you're right. So what have you decided to read?"

Neji looked over the stack on the polished wood desk, gauging their categories. "Their history, government, society and social classes and economy".

"Whoa, can we get through all that?" asked Tenten, Neji could always see so far ahead. She hadn't even thought of any of that. Neji pulled out another seat and offered it to Tenten. The weapons mistress was absolutely giddy by his actions. One of the most attractive qualities of Neji was his ability to be a complete gentleman. How she wished she could tell him how she felt but no matter how much she trained to be his equal, he seemed out of reach. She'd have to work harder; maybe smartening herself up a bit would help. "Give me the book on their history, I'd like to work on that".

Neji looked up from the book he was reading and smiled, actually smiled! Tenten felt her heart soar because she'd been privileged to see it. She took the book from his hand, their fingers touching for a moment in time before they got back to work, covering their red faces with books.

**

* * *

Scene skip- Sakura and Lee.**

Sakura and Lee were seating in their room, noting how different it looked from theirs back home. There were no punching bags, the drawers were empty and the walls were a plain white. Sakura remembered the first time she'd moved in with Lee. He'd painted their whole room pink with white cherry blossoms growing all over the walls to show his affection. Sakura had rushed into his arms crying tears for joy that day. It had been then she realized Lee would do anything for her. He hadn't known how to paint but he'd been taking classes with a local painter just so he could do that for her. Looking at these bland walls now Sakura couldn't help cry at the loss, she would miss her home so dearly.

Lee was looking out the window at the strange world before him when he heard his wife's stifled tears. He rushed to her side with his fast speed, taking her hands into his. "What is it my cherry blossom?"

Sakura sighed, "I'm going to miss it Lee. All the things we did together there…that was our home Lee!"

Lee sighed, taking her into his arms and patting her back. "I know my love, I know…"

Sakura looked at her husband, "Is this okay? Will we be okay?"

Suddenly it was like all the walls she'd built were crumbling down. Without the worries and duties of war keeping her occupied her mind was bringing back everything. All her worries and fears, the heavy knowledge of all she'd done in the war…everything. Sakura could do nothing but snuggle into Lee's arms, seeking his warmth for comfort. Even if the sky turned upside down she knew he was the one thing she couldn't question. They'd be together till death do them part, their vows to one another holding true.

"I promise everything will be right again" he whispered into her pink hair.

**

* * *

Scene Skip – Naruto/Sasuke/Itachi.**

Naruto looked up as Sasuke and Itachi walked into the room. He tried to smile but it came out shaky at best. He offered the two brothers seats but made no motion to do anything else. Sasuke and Itachi sat down and waited. It was strange for Naruto to be so quiet, yes the war had mellowed him out a bit but this kind of silence was out of character for him. They sat down and waited for him to speak, to say anything to relieve their building worries.

"So what do you think?" he asked, his voice soft and barely a whisper.

"It'll be hard to fit in, there's so much we don't know and so much we do that may not be common knowledge here. It's worth a shot though" said Itachi, understanding the question's meaning.

Naruto released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in since Kyuubi left. He was sure the others were having a hard time. Yeah it's hard for him too but 'hard' is something he's used to. His whole life has been nothing but hard; this he would learn to deal with like any other thing but the guilt. The constant concern of what havoc Akatsuki could be reeking back home. The worry of what happened to the civilians that evacuated. Everything seems so half-baked, too many loose ends that kept him up at night. Sighing Naruto looked up for the first time, piercing darks eyes stared back him.

It was scary how at times the Uchiha brothers could look so alike and yet they could be so different too. "How do you guys feel?"

"Why are you asking this Naruto?" said Sasuke, his tone not biting but not without edge.

Naruto ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I don't know…I just want to hear it. I want to know it if you're angry. I just can't stop feeling guilty for not fighting to the end you know. Like I ran away or something!"

Itachi shook his head, his features the picture of calm. "Is that what you think you did Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grunted, "I don't know…it just feels like it…"

Sasuke snorted, "There's nothing wrong with calling a retreat when things aren't in your favor. We've done it a few times before remember".

"Don't you get it Sasuke, this isn't a retreat. Whatever Kyuubi and I did I have no idea if I can do it again or if it works both ways!" growled Naruto, finally letting the frustration and stress find an outlet.

Itachi raised a brow, "So, you saved us from certain death Naruto. Sure things won't come easy to us in this foreign land but I'm sure none of the others hold this against you. If you're worried about the evacuees then that's okay, we all are and there are some things we can't influence. I see nothing wrong with walking away to fight another day. Akatsuki hasn't given up Naruto-kun you can be sure of that if nothing else".

Naruto and Sasuke's faces bore signs of annoyance at the name.

"Well goody, while we're discombobulated they're still trying to strike home" muttered Naruto, his blue eyes shining with a hard light like blades.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Well at least we have time to learn about this world before them. When they come we may be the ones with the advantage".

"I hope so" said Itachi but for some reason he couldn't put it past Madara to somehow just know how to go about things. The man had an unnatural knack for learning.

"Oi Naruto aren't you supposed to gather everyone at 12?" said Sasuke.

Naruto gave him an odd look. How had he known that? Had they been listening, suddenly the blonde's face grew impassive as he swept out the room without another word. Itachi looked to his brother, shaking his head in disapproval at the lack of tact. Sasuke felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach. That had been stupid of him, very stupid. Silently he followed his brother after Naruto.

"I take it you don't listen in on people very often or you've lost your touch with words" said Itachi, a slight twitch of his lips.

Sasuke scowled, so what if he'd let it slip. "Exactly, unlike some people listening to private conversations isn't my pastime".

The playful light never left the older Uchiha's eyes. "Oh but you'd be surprised the things you may hear".

Sasuke paused his strides for a minute, looking closely at his brother. Was he just playing with him or did he know something more that he wasn't sharing? Not that they were good at sharing anything at the moment, there was still a large rift to be filled before that step. Seeing no way of figuring it out at the moment Sasuke continued on, Naruto and Itachi had gotten far during his little reprieve.

They first tried the rooms, finding Tsunade and Shizuna in Kurenai's room. They'd been monitoring Kurenai's status, trying to see if the trip had done anything they might have missed yesterday as tired as they were.

"Aoi-san said she'd like to see everyone in the library now" said Naruto, still doing a good job of ignoring the Uchiha brothers behind him. As hard as that may be, seriously it's like trying to ignore the clashing of thunder or not seeing the red in the rose. Naruto sighed, why was everything so complicated.

"I-I also have something I'd like to say too…to all of you…" he mumbled, hoping they'd miss it at least then when Kyuubi asks he can say he tried. Sadly from the sharp looks, they hadn't seemed it.

"Okay we'll be down in a bit. I just want to let Kurenai rest for a bit more, I don't think she's up to walking around yet. Things…have been hectic" said Tsunade. Her honey brown eyes watching the petite woman rest, her chest raising and falling steadily as she slept. "We'll be down in a bit".

Naruto nodded, "Okay that leaves everyone else to get. See ya in a few!"

The blonde closed the door behind him, giving a slight glance to the Uchiha brothers. "You don't have to follow me you know. You can go ahead while I get everyone else up to speed".

He paused waiting for their reply, his heart hammering in his all-too-small chest. It was weird and disconcerting having them follow him as they did.

"Where's the fun in that dope"

Naruto bristled; of course that very 'nice' comment had come from the teme. Maybe there was one person he wouldn't have minded leaving behind in the other world. Sighing, he began to walk again, looking in the other rooms for their occupants. For some reason he just knew today would be a very long day.

* * *

Okay this is the end of his chapter. I hope you liked it; I tried to give a little bit of insight to each character. Please review if you will.


	5. Chapter 5: educate me

I know it's been a long time since I last updated. I'm sincerely spry to my dedicated readers you honestly love this story. I'll try to give it more attention. I really like it too. Please don't feel shy; read and review. I answer all my reviews so your voices are heard.

_It's gonna take a long time to love, it's gonna take a lot to hold on  
It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah  
Left in the pieces that you broke me into  
Torn apart but now I've got to, keep on rolling like a stone  
'Cause it's gonna be a long, long way to happy_

_Left my childhood behind, in a roll away bed  
Everything was so damn simple, now I'm losing my head  
Trying to cover up the damage and pad out all the bruises  
To young to know I had it so it didn't hurt to lose it  
Didn't hurt to lose it_

_No but oh, I'll keep on rolling down this road  
But I've got a bad, bad feeling_

"_**Long way to happy" by Pink**__._

* * *

Chapter 4: educate me.

Naruto sighed, taking a seat by Sakura and Lee. He'd just finished rounding up everyone, Kiba being the last to enter the library. He looked towards Neji and Tenten, frowning at the books piled up on their table. He wasn't a fan of reading, oh he'd do it when necessary but he was more of a hands-on learner. Looking straight ahead he watched Aoi bring the blackboard closer to the central table where they all sat.

She huffed a bit from the effort. "As you are all well aware I need to teach you a few things before I set you loose on this world. I can see some of you have already started doing your homework".

Tenten blushed a bit when everyone's gaze turned to her and Neji. From the corner of her eye she noticed he didn't seem fazed. She pouted, things hardly ever fazed Neji.

"I intend to teach the general stuff. I can tell you of the history of Tokyo, the current events and culture but it's up to you to pick it up. But before I begin I need to give these to you…"

She walked over to Tsunade first, handing her a file and then moving down. Naruto waited for his impatiently, slightly tapping his finger to the table. Opening his before it even touched the hard wood table. He saw two pictures in the file; one attached to a booklet of some sort and another to an id. There were several other documents in the folder but his attention was on the pictures. They looked authentic but that couldn't be, they'd never taken pictures during the short period they've been here. Just where had Aoi gotten these? He looked towards Kyuubi but the fox spirit didn't seem interested in any of these proceedings.

Once Aoi had passed out all the folders in her arms, she went back to the board. She pinned up two other identical examples of the booklet and id. Pointing towards them she began to explain, "These are your identification in this country, please be very careful with them. The booklet is your passport, should you ever need to travel or show a higher form of identification you need this. The smaller ID card is different each of you depending on your age".

Naruto looked around and found her statement to be true. Itachi's ID card looked different, much like the adults of their group. Those in their teens had similar ones to his. He looked towards Aoi, the unvoiced question in his eyes.

Aoi smiled a bit as she began to explain further. "There is a strict age requirement to drive in Japan you. It's a lot of a hassle to even own a car, lot of taxes and laws you have to abide by. For the most part, the two cars in this house will only be used by those who go to work at demanding jobs. You'll find transportation in Tokyo to be quite convenient if not a bit crowded. Those of you at or above the age limit have been given driver's licenses, in case you should need to use the cars. Don't worry, Kyuubi and I will teach you how to drive them later".

Aoi paused when she noticed Kyuubi's raised hand. She raised a brow to this but answered him anyway, pointing her little wand towards him.

"What if I don't know how to drive?" he asked with an evil smirk.

Aoi pale, her eyes wide. "But surely you must. You should have been given the memories…"

His red eyes turn hard, "Maybe I forgot"

For some reason everyone could tell something was going on. This wasn't part of the lesson and there really something else underway here, but no one had the courage to ask. They all simple sat back and watched the two's conversation, hoping to learn more about their past history. Aoi seemed to be shocked by what Kyuubi was insinuating.

"You forgot…" Aoi head was bowed and her grip on her wand stick was growing harder. Naruto wasn't sure what was going on but he wondered if he should say something. Aoi seemed hurt by Kyuubi's words. But suddenly she looked back up, glaring at Kyuubi as she tossed a random book at him. He caught it as expected but from the looks of it she'd wanted it to hit home. She looked disappointed that he'd caught it. Coughing she resumed her lesson, ignoring Kyuubi for the rest of the lesson.

"As I was saying, you will be taught how to drive so no worries there. Now for those of you who have the other IDs, those are your School IDs. Itachi-san, I believe you have both since you are of the age to attend either high school or college should you pass the entrance exam. You will all need to integrate yourself into this society for normalcy and a better chance to hide from your enemies should they follow you here" Aoi felt bad for bringing back old worries as she say the expressions change at the mention Akatsuki. She didn't have the heart to tell them this world wasn't exactly safe either. So she went on with what she'd been saying and hoped they'd let it slide.

"I've decided to separate you into groups. Naruto…"

"Yes!" Naruto bolted up, as though commanded and blushed. He couldn't believe he'd just done that; his nerves must be more fried than he'd thought. Just thinking about what he'd have to do after Aoi was done with her speech scared him. The others took his latest flounder with good merit, laughing a little and not saying anything mean. Aoi gave him an understand smile, as though she knew just what was worrying him. She couldn't possibly know, but Naruto found her smile reassuring none the less.

She coughed a little to get them back on track. "As I was saying Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sakura, Kiba, Chouji, you'll be attending Juuban Municipal Junior High. I'll show you the school later on so don't worry about directions for now. Hinata, Ino, Tenten, you'll be attending Thomas Aquinas, also known popularly as TA. It's an all girls school and I thought it would be a good fit for you, I hope you like it. I know for now Kurenai is carrying a child and hasn't yet gotten over what happened on the other side. But I was hoping, when she was ready if she wanted, I could instate her as a part-time teacher at TA. Do you think that's okay?"

Aoi looked towards Tsunade since Kurenai was still sleeping. The medic waved off her concern,  
"I'm sure she'd love to. She's not one to seat around after all".

Aoi smiled; glad her suggestion was well received. "Well so far so good. Iruka, Kakashi, I was going to instate you two in Juuban Municipal Junior High as teacher as well to help Naruto and the others. I think it would be easier for them if they had someone they knew on the faculty staff".

Iruka nodded, understanding where she was coming from. In all honestly he'd been scared he'd have to forsake his old way of life as a teacher when he got here. It had been a horrible thought for him. As it was, thanks to the war, he'd had to put his career as a teacher on hold to fight on the frontlines. He didn't mind Aoi's suggestion in the least but what worried him was another matter. "What subject exactly would I be teaching? It's not like I can teach them about Ninjutsu or shinobi arts".

Aoi nodded, having already foreseen this problem. She started rubbing her hands together in a rather disturbing manner with a smirk on her face. "Don't worry about that. I have a nice little machine that will give you all the knowledge you need on that front".

Now it was Sasuke's turn to ask a question, "Then why not just let the machine teach us all this as well?"

Aoi could see the curious glances her way and she paled a bit. "Oh trust me, one go in that machine is more than enough for you to handle. You'd rather learn this way".

This wasn't exactly reassuring for Iruka. Just how bad was it? He wondered. Aoi took the silence that followed as gold and rushed on to continue before anyone had second thoughts about her invention. "Um as I was saying, so Iruka and Kakashi will be instated as teachers. Tsunade-sama I was told you were a very good medic back in your world?"

Tsunade crossed her arms and leaned back with a smirk on her face. "Just good? I was the best medic there honey!"

Everyone face-dropped at her vanity but wisely said nothing, no one wanted to taste the floor just yet. Aoi nodded after a pause, "O-kay, then you wouldn't mind me instating you at one of the local hospital here with Shizune-san of course?"

Tsunade nodded, "I wouldn't"

Aoi smiled, "Good, then that's settle. I'll talk to you both later about the paperwork and details".

Tsunade's head hit the table at the mention of paperwork, creating a large dent. The cursed paperwork, will she never be free of it. Not even in this world! Naruto chuckled to himself, knowing just what had set her off. The Uchiha brothers watched his reaction with a bit of fondness. It had been awhile since they'd seen him this carefree, for them it was a good sign.

Aoi went on, internally wondering just who were these people she was letting share her house with and if they were all mentally there. "Alright…Sai, Itachi, Gaara, Neji and Lee, I thought it would be best for you guys to try to take the entrance exams for one of the college's here. You look up to it".

Itachi smirked at Sasuke's glare; once again he was on a higher plain. Sasuke really wanted to shove him right now, the damn jerk. Lee looked unsure about the whole thing but Sakura placed a hand on his toned arm and his indecision cleared. In his eyes an old fire began to burn again and everyone was very shocked at his sudden youth speech. Sakura chuckled, happy to have the old Lee back. Sure he looked like an idiot yelling about studying with all his flames of youth but it was a welcomed sight for her. She loved her idiot.

Aoi smiled at his antics, not finding them to be too bad. "Konohamaru, I also got you into a school as well, I'll give you the details later. For the most part guys that's really all I wanted to get down for today, the rest will come naturally. This weekend I want us all to go shopping together, and then I'll teach you to use the train system to get to anywhere you want to go. So I guess it's class dismissed if you catch my drift!"

Kyuubi clapped for her, causing the poor lady to blush and hide her face. Naruto chuckled, thinking they'd make a cute couple when something kept poking his side. Annoyed, Naruto turned around to yell at the culprit but froze. Both of the Uchiha brothers were looking at him as though he was the suspect to recent murder crime. He felt highly unsettled under their combined gaze. Cracking his throat a bit, he asked, "What are you guys doing?"

"Dobe didn't you have something you wanted to tell us?" said Sasuke, practically trying to pry out the information from him with his eyes. Naruto looked away, trying to find an escape route. It had been easy to say he'd tell them earlier, but now that the time had come it wasn't so easy. He looked towards Kyuubi but his foster father didn't seem to want to step in. He was too busy teasing Aoi and trying to get her to stop being mad at him. Naruto sighed, he got up and headed up to the front. Just when he was about to open his mouth a loud screeching sound went off. Aoi bolted up, searching for the source.

"The kitchen!" she screamed, rushing off to put out whatever was on fire. Naruto watched everyone follow her in tow and sighed in relief. He wasn't glad for any damages the fire may have cause Aoi but he was glad it did give him an excuse to escape this time. He stayed behind for a bit, walking over to Kyuubi.

"What are you smirking about?" he asked, noticing the old fox's up turned lips.

"Oh nothing, just how I saved you from tripping all over yourself. I guess I was rushing you a bit; you don't seem ready just yet. You can thank me for the help you know. Do you how annoying it is to cause a fake fire" said the fox.

Naruto had a sharp intake of breath, "That was you!"

"Elemental spirit here, tell me what I can't do" said Kyuubi, rolling his eyes.

Naruto pouted, "How about bring back the dead".

Kyuubi flicked him off, "Nice one Kit, I can just call everyone back in you know".

"No thanks. Thank you Kyuubi" said Naruto, conceding to give him the credit he deserved.

"You might want to hide for a bit"

"Why?" asked Naruto, perplexed as to why he'd need to hide.

Kyuubi smacked him on the head, "Because silly, the others may forget about your little confess session but I bet you those Uchiha brothers won't".

Naruto nodded, seeing his point now. Itachi and Sasuke certainly had a nack for remembering the worst things. Naruto looked towards Kyuubi again but he didn't need to say anything. Their connection was strong enough for the fox to already know.

"I'll give them an excuse, get going. I think you should hide in my room, I don't anyone would there look in there to pester you".

"Thanks Kyuubi" bowing to the spirit, Naruto ran out the library and towards the fox's room.

Scene Skip

The other rushed into the kitchen to put out the fire. Aoi grabbed the nearest large pan and placed it over the small pot that was burning. She reached over to turn off the stove but paused. It was already on off…what could this mean? She looked back at the others; they didn't seem to have noticed. The girls were asking each other if one of them had been trying to cook something. Aoi had a feeling none of them were guilty, something like this. She only knew one other person in this house who could do it. But to play along until she had the answers to her questions, she reassured the others everything was fine.

"Don't worry Ino, I must have tried to cook us some snacks and left the stove on. Don't worry about it, no harm done. We deal with it quickly enough" she said, placing a warm hand on the teen's shoulders.

Ino sighed; she'd gone into the kitchen after breakfast to get Chouji the chip bag. She knew she'd feel bad if it had been her fault anything burnt. She still didn't know how to use all the features on the stove yet. Maybe she'd pressed something by mistake on her way out. Ino was glad to be in the clear. She followed everyone back towards the library but noticed Itachi and Sasuke were walking together. They seemed to be lagging behind and whispering to each other.

Sasuke looked towards Itachi from the corner of his eyes. "Is it just me or did that fire come at a rather convienent time?"

Itachi's face remained blank but there was a wistful look in his eyes. "Maybe because it's a distraction?"

Sasuke frowned, "Distraction?"

Itachi nodded, "Aoi did a good job of trying to cover it up but I saw her hand. It never touched the stove, she didn't turn it off. Meaning it was never turned on in the first place. That wasn't a normal fire".

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, rounding on his brother. "But who would do that?"

Itachi opened the door to the library, noting that everyone had retaken their seats. Except the chair of a certain person was empty, he looked towards the others and asked. "Where's Naruto?"

"He got sick, his stomach is probably hurting from all the stuff his ate this morning. I'm telling you that guy is like a black hole for his size!" said Kiba.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "And you have any room to talk dog-boy".

Itachi noted the grin on Kyuubi's face and turned back to his astounded little brother. "_Someone who didn't want to have to tell a secret_" he whispered and entered the room to re-take his seat. Sasuke watched him go; still reeling on the discovery that Naruto had been crafty enough to trick them all. He couldn't believe Naruto, for him to be tricky enough to distract their attention while he fled. But this didn't seem to be like his dobe, just what was the blonde hiding?

* * *

End of chapter, hoped you liked it guys. I'll harder on the next one, not really satisfied with this one. Anyone interested to know what Naruto's secret is?


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